Tinsley Sheffield 9 Stranger at the Door

South Yorkshire Trading Standards Services - Partnership Development Officer - Karen O'Rourke introduced the concept of working together to educate locals of the perils of door to door trading.

Kev Burrows of the Doncaster Crime and Disorder Reduction Unit performed several sketches with the aid of fellow officers to illustrate common doorstep crime scenarios. The performance is a demonstration of one copmonent of a package of initiatives designed to combat doorstep crime.

Mike Beaumont, one of many co-ordinators in represented Tinsley.

Doorstep Crime

BACKGROUND

In 2001, the Home Office, through the Distraction Burglary Task Force, identified that considerable harm and financial detriment was being caused, particularly to the elderly individuals, by distraction burglars, bogus officials AND ‘rogue traders’.

In research conducted by former Detective Chief Superintendent Brain Steele, 'rogue traders’ often been identified as being previously involved in overt criminal activities such as distraction burglary and bogus property repair. It was therefore a logical progression that mandatory services, such as trading standards and the police, work together with other organisations in the community safety field and take a multi agency approach to effectivelv tac kle this issue.

Size of the problem.

Although no official figures exist to record the incidences of detriment caused by Doorstep crime per se, research conducted by Dr Amanda Thornton in 2002, on behalf of Help the Aged showed that 3.26% of a national poll sampled reported callers trying to trick their way into elderly peoples homes. Using the census figures for this period, this would equate to 877 South Yorkshire residents, over the age of 65, being approached.

Further more the poll showed that 50% of the cases where someone was approached the caller would gain access (4386), and 2/3 of these instances would result in something being stolen (2924). However the survey focused on distraction burglary alone, and did not include statistics regarding approaches by rogue traders

The 'Stranger at the Door' Project: Has been ongoing in Doncaster for the past year. It was initially devised by a multi-agency group comprised of the Trading Standards Service, Crime Reduction Unit and DMBC Community First Safety Wardens, wanting to reduce the detriment caused to residents in the area through an educational programme. The project reflects the multi-agency approach and acknowledges that all aspects of Doorstep Crime are equally important hence the project title 'stranger at the door'!

Education- taking control of your doorstep

A video, developed by the North of England Trading Standards Group, designed to educate the erderly and vulnerable, was chosen to supplement an existing 'door' production being used by the Crime Reduction Unit to raise awareness of distraction burglary and bogus officials. The production was adapted to include the 'rogue trader'.

The two methods enabled all parties acting in partnership, to deliver the 'stranger' message to a fuII range of audiences such as groups, large and small, and Individually in someone s own home if required.

Minimising risks and collecting Intelligence

The group also identified that whilst partners were engaging older people it was a prime opportunity to increase the effect of the message by developing some other initiatives aimed at combating doorstep crime.

This resulted in the development of a support pack encompassing: a telephone and mail preference leaflet; a door sticker; a check them out list; and an information checklist. The beat the sneak leaflety was also included.

The finished product is now distributed at 'stranger' presentations. Officers conducting the presentation are able to explain the ideas behind the pack and how these other initiatives can help reduce the detriment caused.

The South Yorkshire Connection- Neighbourhood Watch

Since July 2004 the South Yorkshire Trading Standards Services have been working to involve more partners in respect of combating doorstep crime. Following a conference in held in November 2004, to raise awareness amongst organisations working across South Yorkshire in the community safety field, the partnership development officer has been approached by several agencies, including the executive of South Yorkshire Neighbourhood watch Association, all wanting to work in partnership to compbat doorstep crime.

South Yorkshire trading standard Services, working in partnership with South Yorkshire police Crime Reduction Officers have enabled wardens in some areas of Sheffield to promote the ‘Stranger at the Door’ project, and Rotherham's wardens and PCSO's will soon be Iearning more about how they can help to reduce doorstep crime.