On Wednesday 28 November, North Lanarkshire Council and its partners officially launched the new Bogus Caller Task Force, a unit designed to tackle the increasing problem of bogus callers across North Lanarkshire.

 

It also marked the beginning of a series of 'roadshows' that will visit sheltered housing complexes across North Lanarkshire to help provide staff with the knowledge and information they need in order to help their clients protect themselves.

 

The taskforce is made up of representatives from Strathclyde Police, North Lanarkshire Council Social Work, Housing and Trading Standards services, Age Concern Scotland and Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, as well as from the Voice of Experience Forum and North Lanarkshire Community Safety Partnership.

 

Other commercial organizations, such as Scottish Water and Scottish Power have associated themselves with the core group and will assist with the creation and development of its proposals.

 

It aims to identify and establish ways to tackle this kind of crime proactively, using the combined knowledge and experience of all participants to help vulnerable members of the community protect themselves against fraud.

 

"There has been an increase in the number of crimes committed by bogus callers across North Lanarkshire," said Task Force chairman Constable Dougie Denholm of Strathclyde Police. "We must take direct action to tackle that increase, and to help those more vulnerable to such crimes to protect themselves against them.

 

"We'll be examining ways in which we can educate people about what to look out for and how to be sure the person on your doorstep is exactly who they say they are before letting them in to your home. And we'll be making sure staff from all our partner organisations are well-briefed and ready to help anyone who needs their advice or support.

 

"This is a great step forward in the fight against those who prey on the elderly and vulnerable, and I look forward to seeing positive results in the very near future."

 

Various initiatives have already been proposed, including the 'roadshows' which will now roll out to sheltered housing complexes across North Lanarkshire. Other measures include the development of a 'nominated neighbour' scheme, which allows residents to ask callers to go to their neighbour's door for identification. If the neighbour is satisfied that the caller is genuine, they will then escort the caller to the resident's door. If not, their neighbour can contact the police.

 

A range of leaflets has also been prepared to help residents remember what to look out for and how to protect themselves, and will be distributed via staff from all the organisations that make up the task force.

 

Councillor Helen McKenna, Convener of the council's Environmental Services Committee, which encompasses the Trading Standards service, welcomed the launch of the Task Force, saying: "One of our key aims is to create strong, safe communities. The launch of this task force is a major step towards achieving that aim, and I congratulate the group on the hard work and team effort it has put in.

 

"If we can help vulnerable people to help themselves, we are doing the job we are here to do. The message is clear – we are closing the door to bogus callers."

 

Ends