Officers from trading standards have been visiting some of the borough’s businesses to spread the word on rogue traders as part of a blitz on doorstep crime.
The teams visited some of the borough’s larger taxi firms to raise awareness of doorstep crime as some recent reports involved rogue trader victims using private taxis to the bank or a cash machine for payment.
Trading standards will also write to smaller taxi firms in the area to encourage them to look out for potential incidents and report them, and larger builder’s merchants have had awareness visits as many doorstep crime incidents involve poor quality building work.
Trading Standards officers and Nottinghamshire Police also carried out high visibility patrols in areas where there have been recent reported incidents, which involved giving advice to traders and conducting vehicle checks.
Councillor John Handley, Vice-Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Communities and Place Committee, said: “We’ve already carried out a lot of work with banks to spot and report any suspicious behavior relating to doorstep crime and this week of action has built on this awareness raising.
“Taxi drivers, builder’s merchants and other traders can be our eyes and ears on this crime as many victims stay silent about their experiences, allowing these ruthless people to carry on with their misdemeanors.”
This activity was part of Operation Rogue Trader, a national multi-agency campaign coordinated by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) with Liberal, the Police National Intelligence Unit.
CTSI Lead Officer for Doorstep Crime, Tim Day, said: “Rogue traders and doorstep fraudsters prey on the most vulnerable in society. Working closely with the police and other agencies means we can intervene sooner and safeguard potential victims.”
“This campaign is a core part of a wider strategy to ensure trading standards and the police can work together so there’s no place for these kinds of criminals to hide.”
Activities during the week of action include executing warrants, identifying vehicles used by criminals through automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), conducting intelligence-led patrols and raids, and educating members of the public and frequently-targeted groups before they can be scammed.
Residents can report a suspected rogue trader or an aggressive uninvited doorstep sellers by contacting the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 040506.
