Police crackdown on rogue traders

Police crackdown on rogue traders

Police and trading standards officers will be joining forces this week to target criminals preying on older and vulnerable people by providing poor and over-priced building, path surfacing and landscaping work.

The intelligence-led operation across all 12 of Greater Manchester Police’s divisions, including Rochdale, is a Guardian day of action to tackle illegal activity associated with unlicensed or unqualified traders.

This can include using illegal, untrained or unqualified labour to provide little or shoddy work at inflated prices to vulnerable people. Experience shows that these rogue traders are also likely to steal from their victims and be responsible for bogus caller type offences. They are also likely to be committing trading offences by producing unsafe, substandard work with little regard for health and safety.

Tools, equipment and heavy machinery used by these criminals tends to be badly maintained and often found to be dangerous or stolen. Motor vehicles used by them are often untaxed, uninsured and without a valid MOT.

In many instances they are found to be involved in deception, fraud and tax evasion with many claiming benefits and not declaring earnings.

Staff from Customs and Excise, the Department for Works and Pensions, the UK Border Agency, and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency will be joining in many of the operations this week to target people flouting their regulations.

Detective Chief Inspector Dean Fraser from Greater Manchester Police said: “Rogue traders give honest, professional workers a bad name and are a menace to society. They prey on the vulnerable, especially older people and can systematically rob them of their hard-earned life savings. We, along with our partners in trading standards and the other agencies, are committed to bringing these callous thieves to justice and making them realise that they cannot operate outside the law with impunity."

Ian O’ Donnell, spokesperson for Trading Standards said: “We urge people not to deal with traders they don't know at the doorstep. If you need work doing, plan it carefully, get three quotes and check out references. Buying on impulse from cold callers could lead to you being targeted by other cold callers who get more and more ruthless in their approach."

People can report illegal activity to their local police or trading standards, phone the general non-emergency police line on 0161 872 50 50 or provide Crimestoppers with information anonymously on 0800 555 111.