Figures on the rise in Hertfordshire

THE elderly or vulnerable are those most likely to be victims of distraction burglaries.

Relying on conning their way into people’s homes, the criminal will pose as a water board worker or lost passer-by, maybe even a police officer, to get their foot through the door. And once in they take the opportunity to ransack the house for jewellery, cash and cards.

Usually the victims are frightened, confused and embarrassed, which makes recounting what happened hard.

In 2002 Operation Manhunt was formed to crack down on distraction burglars and following its success and it became a permanent unit.

The team works closely with neighbouring forces to pick up on crime patterns and similar characteristics, gathering intelligence and bringing offenders to court.

Rogue trading also falls under their responsibilities – where a victim has been forced into parting with large sums of money for work they do not need.

Next year the team’s responsibilities will stretch to all burglaries involving a victim over 70 years old – not just distraction burglaries.

To reflect this, the team of five will grow to eight along with two assistant investigators.

DI Andrew Theakston said: “Manhunt’s primary aim is to reduce the number of victims by promoting safety and crime prevention.

“Each day we review the crimes across the country and try and gain as much information as can.

“We want to make Hertfordshire a hostile environment for anyone who tries to operate in this area.

“Mostly, the offenders do this crime full time.

“They travel around the country and don’t have fixed addresses so it makes them difficult to identify and track down, opposed to a local drug addict who lives on your estate and commits crime to feed his habit.

“It’s despicable, preying on elderly and vulnerable people.

“If distraction burglars come to Hertfordshire and Manhunt gets its teeth into them, they are going to jail.

“Over the last few years we’ve had a rising number of convictions and put away some prolific burglars for a long time, which is great.

“From January we’re taking on the extra responsibilities of any burglary involving a victim over 70 years old.

“We’ve found these burglaries usually happen when the offender is usually expecting to carry out a distraction burglary but found the house is empty.”

Last week the police revealed nearly twice as many distraction burglaries across the county compared to the same period last year. Since the beginning of November, 36 occurred, which is up 12 from the same period in 2007.

They include the following four in St Albans:

* Last Wednesday at around 11.30am a man asked for £25 from an 85-year-old woman for carrying out work on her roof that she had not agreed to. He then said she could pay £20, as he knew her, but she did not recognise him.

* The previous day at 10am a man knocked on the door of a 91-year-old woman, claiming to have fixed her roof and said she owed him £25. He then asked for a glass of water and stole £50 from her purse.

* At 6.15pm on November 18, two men posing as police officers knocked on the door of an 85-year-old woman and said they needed to check her windows and doors. A £200 charm bracelet and cash were stolen.

* Just over an hour later two men tried breaking into the home of an 88-year-old woman by forcing her UPVC doors open and when challenged claimed to be police officers. They made off with money and jewellery. These cases come as Manhunt launches a new campaign to encourage family, friends and neighbours to look after vulnerable people in their community. Police want any suspicious sightings to be reported, especially anyone knocking at your or a neighbour's door without a valid reason. In the last few weeks offenders have tricked their way into homes by asking for a glass of water or asking to use the householder's phone because their car has broken down.

DI Theakston added: “The majority of victims do report it, but some are too embarrassed about being tricked or how much they have lost.

“Some don’t even realised it’s happened.

“We would urge everyone to report anyone who has knocked on their door trying to get inside.

“If we know about it we can do something and prevent it from happening to other people.

“These are professional conmen who are very persuasive; victims should not feel embarrassed and our team is never disparaging to anyone who has been a victim.

“But we also want to encourage neighbours, friends and relatives to look after people in your community.

“Keep an eye out for them and make them feel they are not alone.

“If you see something and think 'that’s not right' it’s probably not.

“The more we know then the better chance we have of arresting people.

“You might think we don’t want to bother the police or they’re too busy but it doesn’t matter.

” Police are offering the following advice:

* Always lock your door

* If you are not expecting anyone and you don’t recognise them, don’t let them into your home - don’t feel pressurised.

* If you can’t see who is calling and need to open the door, use your door chain.

* If the caller is claiming to be carrying out maintenance work or from a utility company – such as a water supplier – check the caller’s ID card and telephone their company. Genuine callers will be happy to wait while you make the check but don’t use the number given on the card because if it is a bogus caller the number may be that of an accomplice. Find the number in the phone book instead.

* Never give work to tradesmen who call at the door – always use a reputable and recommended local firm.

* Don’t keep large sums of money at home.

* The key message is simple – if in doubt, keep them out. And always report anything suspicious to police on 999 How you can help police:

* Everyone should be on the look out – report any suspicious activity to police straight away.

* Take note of vehicle registration numbers and a description of any possible offenders.

* If you have information about burglars contact the police on 0845 330 0222 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111