Doorstep crime
Doorstep Crime can affect anyone, but often elderly and vulnerable people are targetted by Rogue Traders offering home improvement services, or by Bogus Callers who claim to be from the council, police, health carers, market researchers or utility and phone companies. Callers may offer services such as window/gutter cleaning, path and driveway repairs, roofing or building work, gardening and tree lopping or persuade residents that they must come inside their homes to 'check something' . They can be very persuasive and convincing in their approach and in what they say. It is easy to be taken in.
Trading Standards has always been concerned with preventing, investigating and solving these crimes, recently (2008) new legislation was put in place to support this work. This has provided the impetus needed to raise awareness, introduce new initiatives and to promote best practice across the country to both members of the public, community organisations and the media.
The connection between rogue trader incidents and distraction burglary has been recognised and provided both trading standards and the police with even more evidence to support this work. This fact, together with the number of recorded incidents in Wales, has highlighted a need for a co-ordinated response to the problem by all the agencies and organisations who have contact with their communities and the All Wales Doorstep Crime Partnership between Trading Standards and Police Forces in Wales is coordinating the response and action across Wales to try and reduce the incidence of this type of crime.
The partnership has delivered a number of campaigns designed to reduce the incidence of doorstep crime in Wales. Click on the links below for further information:
Another important tool in the fight against the doorstep criminal is the establishment of No Cold Calling Zones or Cold Calling Control Zones in areas of need. For more information on Zones and a list of the established Zones in Wales follow the link below: