Police have ramped up their investigations after a 40-year-old woman was beaten in front of her six-year-old daughter during one of two handbag hold-ups on Tuesday. 

The latest incidents in the crime-hit suburb have caused a feeling of angst and unease throughout the community. 

Bruce Street homeowner Susie Bevan told The Daily Advertiser she now stores a golf club beside her bed in case she has to defend herself against home intruders. 

“With all the horrible crimes lately, you have to be prepared in case you’re the next they come after,” she said. 

“The fact they’ve hit some woman in daylight shows how fearless they’re getting.

“It seems like us poor people are just waiting for something to happen.”

During the first incident, a 63-year-old woman had her handbag snatched while she was waiting at a bus stop in Bruce Street, Tolland around 7.30am. 

The alleged male thief, who wore dark clothing and a hooded top over his head, ran across Chambers Park and towards Fernleigh Road. 

Officers later found the handbag in the yard of a nearby home with a number of items missing. 

The second offence saw a 40-year-old woman assaulted in front of her six-year-old daughter in Maher Street Park, Tolland just after 10am,. 

It is now believed three males, who wore dark clothing and had their faces covered, confronted the mother and ripped a handbag from her grip.

When the victim struggled against the alleged offenders, she was struck a number of times in the back and shoulder before she surrendered. 

Police initially believed the incidents were linked, but recent witness statements suggest the timing was coincidental.

“Enquiries now suggest there was three offenders in the second incident, and one in the first,” Acting Inspector Tina McPherson said. 

“Police now believe these incidents were unrelated.”