Cold callers warned off in Hollin

The Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Zulfiqar Ali; Hollin PCSO Christine Curry; Jackie Bell, Crime Reduction Advisor; Brian Farr, Crime Reduction Advisor and Gwilym Davies, Crime and Disorder Officer at Rochdale Borough Council

Cold callers in Hollin will be given the cold shoulder by residents who’ve made their community a ‘No Cold Calling Zone’.

34 houses on Hollin Green, will be part of the sixth No Cold Calling Zone to be implemented in the borough as part of a partnership commitment to crack down on doorstep crime.

Rochdale Borough Council, together with the police, fire service, age concern and many other local agencies in the borough work together to try and combat this menace.

These zones help to discourage cold callers from pestering residents with unwanted visits from bogus callers and help reduce doorstop crimes and burglaries.

Metal warning signs will be fitted to lamp posts in the surrounding streets and the 34 households will receive crime reduction advice and home security tips.

The council’s trading standards officers and PCSO’s visited all residents to gain support for the zone during the Crime and Grime Blitz earlier this year and 100 per cent of households signed up for the scheme.

Gwilym Davies, Crime and Disorder Officer at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “These residents are being urged to have nothing to do with doorstep sellers. The clear message they aim to send to bogus callers is ‘you’re not welcome here’.

“The initiative will rely heavily on the residents, not only in changing the way they deal with and tolerate doorstep callers, but also reporting incidents to either the police or to trading standards.”

Dale Mulgrew, cabinet member responsible for community safety at Rochdale Borough Council, added: “I’m confident the zone will be just as successful as the others in Rochdale borough in helping to protect some of our most vulnerable elderly residents that are often the target of doorstep crimes. I’m pleased that another community in the borough is now benefiting from a scheme that helps to make residents feel safer knowing that they’re living in a zone where the combined force of the community will make sure that cold callers get the message – you’re not welcome.”

If you’re a victim of doorstep crime, call Greater Manchester Police on 0161 782 5050 or in an emergency 999.

The council’s trading standards team can offer advice and contact details for reputable traders – to find out more call 01706 924 238.