A year-long operation has led to police smashing what they believe was Scotland’s biggest doorstep crime gang, thought to have conned up to £2.5 million from vulnerable victims.
The operation has culminated in 14 people being arrested and charged with more than 200 offences following a series of dawn raids in the Glenrothes area.
The 13 men and one woman are accused of working within an illegal enterprise that preys upon the elderly and disabled, coercing them into parting with large sums of money.
The alleged crimes said to have been committed across Scotland and northern England involve cold callers and bogus workmen who targeted vulnerable people in their own homes.
Police have identified 54 alleged victims, some as old as 90, who have lost a total of £250,000, but they insist that represents just 10% of the overall number. Many of the alleged victims have died or ended up in care within months of their ordeal, while at least one has been left feeling suicidal.
Operation Nominate was a year-long initiative in Fife that targeted organised doorstep criminality on a national scale. So far, £300,000 worth of assets has been identified, 14 vehicles seized and offences recorded across Scotland and as far afield as Northumbria.
It ran in conjunction with Police Scotland’s nationwide campaign against bogus workmen, Operation Monarda.
Nominate was initiated after an elderly widow from Glenrothes was targeted and ended up losing £37,500 of her life savings. She was even driven to the bank on several occasions in a works van to withdraw the cash.
Detective Inspector Stevie Hamilton said: “Keeping people safe is the priority for Police Scotland and through Operation Nominate, we’ve been targeting those who prey on the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Victims are left bereft of self-confidence, divested of their savings by contemptible and despicable individuals who are solely focused on the attainment of power and profit.
“These crimes deeply affect legitimate businesses, not only by lowering public confidence in specific commercial areas but through utilising their unequivocal lack of social contribution, enabling them to readily undermine bona fide enterprise.
“This form of criminality has previously shown itself to be complex, resulting in too few being brought to justice.
“To effectively tackle this form of criminality, we required a highly detailed and investigative approach. We also worked closely with other agencies, particularly Trading Standards.”
Fiona Richardson, chief officer, Trading Standards Scotland, said: “The work done on Operation Nominate shows that by working together the police and Trading Standards can build stronger cases.”
Picture by George McLuskie