The Northern Echo is campaigning to end the scourge of doorstep conmen. Neil Hunter talks to police who are on their trail.

TO their peers, they are seen as skilled "workmen" who take pride in their ability to deceive and manipulate vulnerable people.

But to the police officers charged with bringing them to justice - and the victims they leave behind - doorstep criminals are simply evil.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Kelly launched a major operation across Teesside this year to target the thieves who prey on the elderly.

And he is in no doubt about how they should be regarded - he calls them "vultures".

Det Chief Supt Kelly, director of crime with Cleveland Police, said: "The people who commit such offences are vile, evil and callous.

"Everyone has a right to be safe in their homes, particularly the elderly and vulnerable. They should not have to fall prey to these vultures.

"On average, around three distraction burglaries are recorded each week in Teesside. They do not have a major impact in terms of sheer numbers and often the financial loss is not great, but the impact they have on a victim is substantial.

"They are despicable crimes and we aim to stop them."

The innovative Operation Strongbow, led by an elite team of Cleveland Police officers, aims to use intelligence and analysis to draw up a list of the most active suspects.

As part of a long-term strategy, trained crime analysts are working alongside a team of officers from the Force Intelligence Bureau building up e-fit pictures and checking statements to gain a full understanding of the scale of the problem.

Comprehensive research by retired CID chief Brian Steele goes some way to showing how widespread it is - and how the criminals operate.

His report for the Home Office says: "Many of these criminals commence committing bogus offences as early as seven or eight years of age and are often taught their criminal skills by a relative or family friend.

"Some bogus property repairers look upon their criminal enterprise as the family business and have no compunction in taking large sums of money, in some cases life savings.

"Most bogus offenders operate in teams of two or more persons, and in certain circumstances, they trade potential victims to a different team, thereby ensuring that such victims are plundered to the full whilst minimising the risk of offenders being prosecuted.

"The majority of bogus offenders take pride in their ability to deceive and manipulate their victims, and have identified that many older adults are susceptible to suggestions that their homes are in immediate need of repair.

"Such a suggestion appears to strike at the very heart of the older person's sense of security and makes them prone to agreeing to employ the offender to rectify the imaginary fault."

Mr Steele, who had 32 years' service with the West Yorkshire force before retiring in 2001, interviewed doorstep criminals in prison as part of his research.

"We are professional criminals who only get caught when we're stupid," one told him.

Another boasted: "We took pride at getting in the house, conning the old lady and stealing her money without her even realising she had been done. We would be miles away before she realised we had taken her stash from the bedroom."

Mr Steele said this eagerness to boast of the ability to deceive defenceless people showed the offender, and often his relatives and associates, did not perceive any wrong in committing these types of crimes.

Many of the offenders interviewed said: "They don't need the money - we do.

"They don't spend it, that's why it's hidden away."

Turning the heat up on cold call criminals

CONSUMER watchdogs have warned doorstep criminals their time is running out.

Trading standards chief Stuart Pudney said there would be a zero tolerance approach to bogus callers and property repair conmen.

He said a new joint approach to the problem - including councils, the police, and support agencies - would leave the crooks facing a tougher time.

Mr Pudney, North Yorkshire County Council's head of trading standards and regulatory services, said: "Any doorstep caller who steps over the mark in any way will find himself in court."

A recent survey shows that almost a quarter of the county's residents have had problems with doorstep callers in the past two years, and three-quarters have received a cold call.

Mr Pudney said the problem was not restricted to urban areas.

"The number of complaints we were getting was staggering," he said.

"Our estimate is that there are between 10,000 and 15,000 incidents a year, but only one in ten is reported to the authorities.

"Previously, they have not been recorded properly by us or the police, and many have been written off as civil disputes, but when you get behind them and look at the facts, they are very serious and have a great effect on older people.

"We must change people's attitudes towards cold calling and their behaviour on the doorstep."

Councillor Carl Les, the council's executive member for business and community services, said: "A few years ago our message was 'Be careful who you deal with on the doorstep' but we now know that message was wrong.

"It is not possible to tell the good guys from the bad guys. The criminals are too plausible and too well-organised so the message has to be quite simply 'say no to doorstep callers'."