A concerted crackdown on bogus workmen was launched in Fife yesterday as police focus their attention on known hotspots for doorstep crime.
Extra resources will be made available throughout the week to try and support previous and potential victims, while police have also been targeting van and lorry drivers who may not be who they say they are.
An additional 55 officers will carry out patrols to support local communities, and a newsletter is being delivered to ‘No Cold Call Zones’ across the region to give residents an update on current methods being used by doorstep criminals.
The spotlight fell on the Duloch area of Dunfermline, when officers joined forces with Fife Council’s trading standards and licensing departments and the DVSA to try and tackle the problem pro-actively.
Several vehicles were stopped and searched across a four hour period.
Inspector Jane Combe, of the Fife Police Safer Communities group, explained: “Bogus callers pretend to be someone they’re not, such as council staff, meter readers, charity collectors and even police officers.
“We want to equip our community in how to keep cold callers out of their homes and protect themselves against doorstep crime.
“Rogue traders work by trying to pressurise householders into buying a product or service that they don’t actually need.
“We recommend that people never pay for goods or services to strangers arriving at their door.
“We also want to reassure and help the most vulnerable members of our community with regards to home security and crime prevention.”
In addition to the high profile and highly visible operation in Duloch yesterday, police have been reminding banks to be aware of their responsibility when it comes to supporting vulnerable and elderly people.
In many cases, older victims have been asked to withdraw large sums of money to pay for bogus work related activity – and that, in many cases, has led to the arrest and charge of those behind the scams.
All the builders’ merchants in the area are also due to receive a visit, with officers raising awareness around about doorstep crime and asking local businesses to display a poster to make their staff more aware.
