Schoolchildren Help Police Crackdown On Bogus Callers

It is a horrible situation and we all hope it doesn’t happen to us but increasingly door step crime seems to be in the news. A typical scenario is when the criminal knocks on our front door with some false pretext and while you are busy their accomplice sneaks in the back way to steal whatever they can carry. Especially worrying is when our children open the door to strangers. In one area of the country, though, the Police are taking proactive action.

A campaign by Police and schoolchildren in the Huddersfield area could see a fall in the number of people having to make home insurance claims after burglaries.

Officers from Kirkburton and pupils at Flockton First School held an assembly highlighting the dangers of bogus callers. A Police community support officer from West Yorkshire Police said: "The children were great and did little scenarios showing how to and how not to answer the door to someone they don't know."

She added the pupils also produced a leaflet and designed their own logo. The Police Officer said the exercise was useful as it made children aware of crime prevention issues and taught them to work together on community projects. Educating our children in how to prevent crime is a good way to prepare them for adulthood and hopefully also we will see a lower incidence of crime in the future.

This comes after police were informed about a couple of bogus caller incidents in the area.

Ways to prevent door step crime:

•    Do not let anyone in unless you are expecting them.
•    Ask to see formal identification – if the person cannot provide at least a valid driving licence then turn them away.
•    Don’t worry about appearing rude – if the person is genuine they will understand that you want to check their credentials.
•    Representatives of gas, water and electric companies rarely make calls without an appointment.
•    Fit a door chain to your door and keep it on until you have established the identity of the person.
•    Make sure any back doors and windows are closed and even locked if possible to prevent rear entry by an accomplice.

If you want to know more about crime prevention why not ask AnswerBank Law.