Good Neighbours the best weapon for fighting rogue traders

According to the National Trading Standards Board, there are around 170,000 incidents of doorstep crime each year, most of which target older or vulnerable people with aggressive selling and extortionate prices for substandard work.

With National Consumers Week having just ended, many local authorities are hoping that new schemes now in place will help better support communities to protect individuals from the negative impact of these rogue traders.

Birmingham

In Birmingham, a ‘Good Neighbours Stop Rogue Traders’ campaign has been launched which will involve selecting nominated members of the community who will give out postcards that enable vulnerable residents to contact them. These members will then be able to speak to any suspect traders on behalf of residents who feel intimidated.

Councillor Barbara Dring comments: “Doorstep crime is a serious issue but it often goes unreported for various reasons such as embarrassment, not knowing who to contact or even realising they’ve been subject to a crime. This is why this campaign is vital in raising public awareness.

“Such traders prey on the elderly and vulnerable, turning up uninvited and pressuring people into having unnecessary work done, which is often sub-standard, for hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Anyone can fall victim to a rogue trader and we need the help of all residents to stop this sickening crime.”

Oxford

Oxford County Council estimate that monies of £1m were taken in 2013/14 alone, by criminals using high-pressure tactics, which has led to the authority setting up Good Neighbour Schemes in order to bring more help to vulnerable community members.

Manager for trading standards, Richard Webb, comments: “Unfortunately there are a number of unscrupulous door-to-door traders out there who specifically target the elderly and vulnerable as they see them as a route to gain easy money by using unpleasant tactics. Often this can involve pressurising people into parting with huge amounts of money for jobs that are worth a fraction of what is being charged.

“The Good Neighbours Stop Rogue Traders campaign is an excellent way of people playing a part to help safeguard those living around them by acting as a buffer to help stop the exploitation of the vulnerable. Almost a million pounds was fleeced from Oxfordshire residents in cases that Trading Standards know about last year by doorstep rogue traders – I hope that there is a strong community response to the campaign which would help reduce the amount of money taken from the vulnerable by doorstep criminals.”

Coventry

Likewise, empowerment within the community is the focus of council schemes in Coventry that are aimed at promoting neighbourly responsibility.

Cabinet member for community development, co-operative and social enterprise, Faye Abbot, comments: “With a reduction in real terms on incomes it is more important than ever that Coventry residents are being protected from being conned out of money and made aware of such things to protect themselves. It is up to all of us who live in communities to look out for our elderly or vulnerable neighbours to help make them feel empowered.”

Coventry Citizens Advice Bureau chief executive Charley Gibbons adds: “Rogue traders bring misery to thousands of households. It’s disgraceful that some traders rip people off on their own doorstep. Staff and volunteers at Coventry Citizens Advice Bureau already help victims of these crimes, but preventing con artists from doing damage in the first place is crucial.

“We’ll continue to work closely with Trading Standards and other organisations across Coventry to crack down on illegal practices, bring rogue traders to justice and help victims to move on. We want people to be on the lookout for doorstep crime in their community to help stop neighbours falling foul of rogues.”

Inverclyde

Communities large and small are just as likely to be targeted by rogue traders. In Inverclyde, councillor Terry Loughran hopes the campaign will protect people from negative effects that are not easy to recover from.

He says: “Doorstep crime reaches far beyond any financial loss. It can cause a victim’s mental health to deteriorate and in some cases suffer physical harm. Neighbours, friends, relatives and carers can nominate themselves to help stop rogue doorstep traders operating in the area by joining a Nominated Neighbour scheme, taking away the trader’s ability to contact the resident directly.”

Trading Standards Institute chief executive Leon Livermore also comments: “This campaign gives power back to communities that have been blighted by rogue traders and prevents those most at risk from becoming victims of doorstep crime.

“While trading standards officers strive to track down and prosecute rogue traders, community intervention is the first step in preventing detriment caused by doorstep crime. The ‘Good Neighbours Stop Rogue Traders’ campaign highlights the impact community-spirit and the goodness of neighbours, friends and relatives can have in making Britain a safer place.”