Two US police officers went above and beyond the call of duty by paying for an elderly woman's shopping and buying locks for her home after her purse was stolen in a supermarket.

Julia Brecht, an 86-year-old great-grandmother and full-time carer to her blind and wheelchair-bound husband, had her money, credit cards, car keys and house keys taken from her bag that was placed in a shopping trolley.

After cancelling her credit cards and taking down the details of the crime at the Target supermarket, officers Craig Hess and Robert Little of Aurora Police Department, Colorado, then took her grocery list and bought her the items, which included a roast, bag of sugar and cake mix.

"They grabbed my shopping list," Mrs Brecht told local channel KMGH-TV.

"They bought the groceries. One brought me home. They went back to Target and brought my car home."

Officers Craig Hess (left) and Robert Little of Aurora Police Department in Colorado (KMGH)

The officers even used their own money to buy new locks for the woman's front door at a hardware shop just in case the thief decided to target her house as he was in possession of her address and keys after taking her belongings on 27 October.

The thief on the left spies Mrs Brecht (right) before taking her purse (KMGH)

CCTV footage made available to KMGH-TV shows the thief, who appears to be a Caucasian male in his late teens or early 20s, hanging around the fresh fruit and vegetable section and pretending to be on his phone while scoping out the area.

He runs towards her shopping trolley and takes the purse out of her bag while she is looking away before he speeds off and leaves Mrs Brecht stranded at the superstore with no way to pay for her food.

The new door lock the police officers bought Mr and Mrs Brecht (KMGH)

"They were just absolutely incredible," Mrs Brecht added.

"We're just very thankful.

"They went far beyond what any person like me would expect."