Cold caller ban cuts doorstep crime by 80%
From The TimesAugust 20, 2007
Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor
Link: http://www.timesonline.co...289189.ece

Town halls throughout England are being urged to set up “No Cold Calling Zones” in light of evidence that these have led to an 80 per cent reduction in doorstep crime, The Times has learnt.

Trials involving more than a thousand zones over the past two years, covering 350,000 households, have shown sharp falls in overall crime and distraction theft, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

Established to deter rogue traders, bogus officials and thieves, the zones are identified by stickers in household windows and by street signs.

The typical victim of doorstep crime is an elderly woman living alone. “Criminals posing as cold callers tend to target homes with visible clues such as handrails or wheelchair access ramps,” an LGA spokesman said. “In some cases they have been known to trawl obituaries columns to identify the recently bereaved.”

In extreme cases people had lost their life savings, or had to move into residential care because they had been targeted repeatedly by cold callers, the spokesman said. Other tradesmen had charged thousands of pounds to mend roofs or to repair drives and then disappeared with the money without doing the work. In many cases a visit from a rogue trader was followed by a later theft from the property.

The zones will be policed by special constables, who will have powers of arrest, or by community teams such as Neighbourhood Watch. They will range in size from a single street or housing estate to an entire county. Residents are given leaflets on how to deal with cold callers, including the number of a community hotline that will summon a police constable or council representative. In some areas, townhall officers are using ASBOs to deal with persistent cold callers.

During 2005-06 there were 12,612 reported incidents of distraction theft – where crooks posed, for example, as an energy meter reader while an accomplice stole cash or belongings. The police believe that as many as 90 per cent of incidents are never reported, meaning that the true number could be nearer 130,000 incidents a year.

Sir Simon Milton, chairman of the LGA, said that hundreds of thousands of people were reaping the benefits of these zones, giving them the confidence to say “no” to cold callers. “The evidence quite clearly shows that No Cold Calling Zones can be a hugely effective and inexpensive way of cutting crime,” Sir Simon said.

Surrey has already achieved big reductions in crime levels. In Guildford, where nearly a third of the city is covered, distraction thefts dropped from 64 in 2005 to nine last year.

Steve Ruddy, assistant trading standards officer for Surrey County Council, said that up to 10,000 homes were covered by the Guildford scheme, with other zones set up in Woking and Horley. “The zones were set up following residents’ complaints or police referrals,” Mr Ruddy said. “They cover mixed communities with both affluent and poorer estates. Two thirds of the victims are over 70 and most live on their own.”

He argued that distraction thefts and doorstep burglaries were often minor in comparison with the money taken by rogue traders. In one case a tradesman dug up a driveway and then left with the money, leaving an expensive mess, Mr Ruddy said. “Old people are giving away as much as £30,000 to people cold calling at their home to do building work.”

He said that the same people were often victimised repeatedly.

Bedfordshire County Council employs special constables with powers of arrest in its zones. A spokesman for the council said that there had been a 27 per cent reduction in distraction theft and a 20 per cent drop in domestic burglaries in these zones over the past year. In the same period there had been 16 successful prosecutions, many of which led to jail sentences.

Four zones have been set up in Luton, reducing burglaries and reports of rogue traders by 90 per cent. The zones are linked with a police “ringmaster” system that sends out messages to local residents warning them of rogue traders or other potential criminal activity.

Doorway to crime

290,475

Burglaries in a dwelling (Figures for 2006-07) down 16% on previous year

1,806

Aggravated burglaries (using a weapon) down 3%

12,750

Distraction burglaries up 10%

Source: Home Office

that is a fantastic idea.
i don't know how they live with themselves
preying on the elderly or vulnerable.

emm said:

I agree emm, I will never understand why another harms another.