One morning, Mrs Ford an elderly lady, had a knock on the door from some men
who said they had been working in the area and had noticed that her roof
looked a bit dodgy. Would she like them to sort it out, as it would cost her
a lot more later if it were left to get worse? She said she would like that
and they offered to come back the next day.
That evening her grandson popped round and she mentioned it to him. He was
suspicious and the following morning phoned the local trading standards
department where he spoke to Emily, an enforcement officer. She was very
interested in his call as her office knew that a gang was working the area
but hadn’t been able to catch them in the act.
After a discussion with her boss, the trading standards’ rapid action team
(RAT) was mobilised and a surveillance operation was mounted in co-operation
with the police who were very concerned about the growth of criminal
‘doorstep selling’. Watching on cameras from a hidden van, the team saw the
two men at work. Even from a distance it was obvious that they did not know
what they were doing and that their work was very shoddy. So the RAT pack
moved in an apprehended the men, just as they were asking Mrs Ford for
payment.
After the arrests, Emily told the local newspaper that she was delighted
with the outcome.
Incidents like this are on the increase. Older and more vulnerable people
are particularly at risk from unscrupulous doorstep callers and crooks
offering to do repairs. Sometimes this results in the victims – people like
Mrs Ford – losing thousands of pounds, sometimes their life savings. Callers
reporting rogue traders at their home are given immediate advice from
trading standards and where necessary our RAT team will take swift action.
