Vic man, 85, hides as home ransacked

An elderly Melbourne man says he hid in fear in his bedroom for almost half an hour waiting for police as a man ransacked his house.

Bryan Gillard, 85, says he heard a man searching his Eltham home on Monday morning.

He phoned local police immediately and yelled for the drug-affected burglar to leave but police arrived from neighbouring Diamond Creek 28 minutes later, well after the intruder fled. He has not been found.

The Herald Sun newspaper reports that a local sergeant apologised to Mr Gillard's family, blaming peak-hour traffic for the delay.

Mr Gillard's son Andrew said police did their best but he's thankful the situation did not end violently.

"Imagine being in his shoes, he's 85-years-old and hiding behind a bedroom door, not knowing if the attacker had a knife or what he was going to do, and having to wait half an hour for help," he told the newspaper.

Police Association secretary Ron Iddles called on the state government to improve police numbers.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said because of rostering issues, the Eltham divisional van was not put on the road until 9am that day, forcing Diamond Creek members to respond.