Police leave bogus callers out in the cold

Police across Greater Manchester visited the homes of more than 60 known distraction burglars on Wednesday (27 August), as part of a concentrated day-of-action to reduce the number of people that fall victim to doorstep crime.

PCSOs visited the homes of more than 100 repeat victims and more than 13,000 crime reduction leaflets were delivered to residences across the county. More than 6,500 ‘Nominated Neighbour’ packs were also distributed, encouraging older and vulnerable residents to sign up to the scheme and keep themselves safe from bogus callers.

The day of action was part of an ongoing operation to reduce distraction burglaries, where criminals pose as officials from energy providers, the council or other organisations to gain access to homes to steal valuables.

Throughout the day, thirteen people were arrested and police also carried out joint patrols with Trading Standards officers to target rogue traders. Extensive automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) operations were run to target the vehicles of known offenders listed on the national distraction burglary hotlist, as well as untaxed and unregistered vehicles, which are commonly used by criminals. Mounted officers also patrolled hotspot areas.

Crime prevention events and activities have taken place across Greater Manchester throughout the week, including theatre workshops highlighting tactics used by bogus officials, visits to older patients in hospital and crime prevention talks at community coffee mornings.

Police have also been using cameras in and around the homes of vulnerable residents to assist in identifying offenders.

Detective Superintendent Patrick McKelvey who led Operation Yukon said: “Over the past week, police and partners have been working hard to not only target the offenders that carry out this distressing crime, but to raise as much awareness as possible of the tactics these criminals use to get into people’s homes.

“Although incidents of distraction burglary have reduced significantly across Greater Manchester over the past few years, during the summer months we do typically tend to see an increase.

“It’s important that people realise that even groups of people that are generally trusted such as the clergy, council workers and charity workers should always be asked for proof of identity. If you have any doubts as to their credibility, don’t let them in and don’t be pressurised into buying anything from cold callers.”

Andrew Glover from Trading Standards said: “Both the Police and Trading Standards have committed considerable resources to tackling the issue of doorstep crime. It is important that people report any incidents or suspicions they have about doorstep callers in their area to Trading Standards or the police so that appropriate action can be taken.”

Between 1 April and 30 June this year, there was a 31 percent decrease in the number of distraction burglaries across Greater Manchester, compared to the same period last year.
For more information on the Nominated Neighbour scheme, please call 0161 872 5050 or contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team directly.

If any residents have issues or would like advice related to cold callers in their area, they should contact Trading Standards on the Consumer Direct line on 08454 040506 or via the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.