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Four arrested in distraction burglary campaign
Posted on 22/12/09
Four arrested in distraction burglary campaign
The police in Leicestershire have arrested four people in connection with distraction burglary offences two of them have been remanded into prison.
The arrests are part of a campaign, which is running across five police forces, to tackle the problem of distraction burglaries. It is the second year running that forces across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire have run Operation Storyboard - a joint initiative to target the people who commit this type of crime.
Research shows that offences of distraction burglary peak during October, November and December.
In the last two weeks officers from Leicestershire Constabulary have made four arrests. All four men, whose ages are 25, 29, 30 and 34, are from Leicester and have all been arrested on suspicion of committing distraction burglary. A 29 year old man was charged and remanded into custody; a 30 year old man was wanted by police and recalled to prison.
The campaign has been supported by Operation Liberal, a National Intelligence Unit based in the East Midlands, which works all year round to combat distraction burglary and assist in identifying and bringing the perpetrators to justice. As part of Storyboard officers across the region have been gathering intelligence; targeting known offenders; giving out crime prevention advice; working closely with Neighbourhood Watch and exploring all forensic opportunities to bring perpetrators to justice.
Detective Inspector Chris Hewgill, from Loughborough CID, said; Thanks to this operation, we have made some key arrests and hope to make more in the coming months. People who commit distraction burglaries target the elderly and vulnerable and that is what makes it such a despicable crime. The offenders can be very convincing and persuasive. They are also very difficult crimes to detect because we dont often get good descriptions of the offenders and they sometimes travel long distances to commit offences.
The most common excuse offenders use to trick their way into peoples homes is to claim they are from the Waterboard. Id like to remind people that there is no such thing as the Waterboard and that water companies wont send representatives into homes unannounced and dont panic people by claiming there is a water leak in order to get into their home. I would also ask people with elderly neighbours to keep an eye on them over the festive season and to report any suspicious activity to us such as unknown people or vehicles in villages.
Our message is simple; if you dont know the person standing at the door, do not let them in.
Other crime prevention advice includes;
- Put the chain on before opening the door or talk to the caller through the door
- Ask them to put their identification card through the letterbox
- A genuine caller will not mind you checking their identification and most will be happy to make an appointment to return at a later date or time when you can have someone else with you.
- Remember IDs may be false. You can ring the company they are claiming t be from and confirm their identity.
- There is no such thing as the water board'
- If you feel threatened dial 999 and ask for the police.
Anyone with information about distraction burglaries should call the police in their Force Area or alternatively call Crimestoppers which is free* and anonymous on 0800 555 111.
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