Can you tell if someone is from Croydon just by listening to their accent?

A police appeal over an armed robbery in Crawley sparked huge debate online after officers said a man seen waving a gun sounded like he was from the south London borough.

The hooded thief got away with more than £1,000 in cash and £3,000 worth of cigarettes after locking the store manager in the toilet.

The suspect is described as mixed race, about 5’8”, and spoke with a Croydon accent. He was wearing a dark grey Nike hooded jumper with paint marks on the arms and back, dark coloured tracksuit bottoms and white trainers. His face was covered by a black scarf and a black hat, and he also wore red gloves with black palms. Sussex Police

So does the Croydon accent really exists or do police need to be taught a thing or two about south London accents?