Episode 6 Doorstep Crime 999

There's an area of crime that's getting worse.

Too often it has a devastating effect on its victims.

I'm talking about doorstep crime.

We're celebrating the work of police

and Trading Standards teams all over the UK,

as they turn the tables on the crooks responsible.

And you've been sharing your success stories

and ideas for how to root out the rotters.

Today, the distraction burglar who thinks he's found

the perfect crime - but hasn't reckoned on the bravery

of this Sussex consumer.

To think that he could just...

..sell my jewellery for that amount.

Plus, have you ever wondered what happens

when you pay rogue traders by cheque?

Find out, as Trading Standards

expose a money-laundering operation in south London.

We will prosecute anybody

who allows rogue traders to use their accounts

to effectively launder money.

And exciting stuff - we're out and about

in Oxfordshire with an award-winning Trading Standards team,

as they close the net on a gang of crooks!

We need to go and find these people.

Quicker we can stop it,

the less harm there is to the residents of Oxfordshire

and all those vulnerable people they're trying to take money from.

Hello, and thanks to all of you for sending in your thoughts

on doorstep crime, and, more importantly, how to beat it.

For instance, John Dibley,

who's a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator from Surrey.

He says nobody wants their door keys or car keys fished right out

through the letterbox, so his tip is to keep all keys

out of sight of windows and letterboxes once you've locked up.

But suppose you do fall victim to doorstep crime -

who should you turn to?

Well, Trading Standards would be a very good start,

and we've been on the road with an award-winning team in Oxfordshire.

Nationwide, law enforcement agencies are fighting back

against doorstep crime - and that's certainly true in Oxfordshire.

It's 8.30 in the morning, and Trading Standards officer

Martin Woodley is already hard at work.

A number of jobs coming...

Martin heads up the doorstep crime rapid response team,

which is made up of dedicated officers

who work tirelessly to bring rogue traders

and doorstep criminals to justice.

We need to get out there and catch the people when they're there,

because if you get there after they've gone,

after they've got the money - normally cash -

it's very hard to identify or find out who these people are.

One of the things that sets the unit apart

from other Trading Standards teams is that it's completely self-sufficient,

thanks to police officer Jayne Newman,

on attachment from the Thames Valley Police.

With me in the team, I'm able to make the arrests

straight away when we attend an incident,

if an arrest needs doing,

instead of the team having to wait for the police to attend.

A typical day involves Martin and Jayne

hitting the roads so that they can respond to any emergency calls from distressed consumers.

Today they're investigating reports of driveway companies

cold calling homeowners and using aggressive tactics.

They will have their favourite areas to target. So, normally,

it's quite wealthy areas and the elderly and vulnerable,

areas with a lot of bungalows.

The first lady they're visiting is so distressed by the incident

that she doesn't want to be filmed.

The lady's been visited twice within two days of each other

by two separate companies trying to tarmac her drive,

telling her that she's got to have it done.

Interestingly, if you have a look at the flyers they've left,

it's exactly the same image being used on both flyers.

In addition to the strikingly similar leaflets,

both companies were forceful and quoted a price of £2,000.

From experience, Martin knows the likelihood of this

being a coincidence is extremely slim.

But the biggest price is the impact these rogues have

on the people they target.

I sometimes think if only the offenders could see

the effects they have on some of the people's lives

after they've done the offence,

if they could see what they've left behind,

maybe that might make a few of them change the way they go around

and what they do.

Just minutes after leaving the scene, Martin and Jayne

may have a lead on the gang that have been cold calling nearby.

We've just received a call from another area

that we've now got to respond to, because they are there at this time.

We're going to see if we can find them and establish what they've done,

and if a crime's been committed and we find them, I'll be arresting them.

A cross between Cagney and Lacey and Starsky and Hutch,

they are out to catch these cold calling crooks red handed -

but only if they can get there before the rogues leave.

We'll check in with Martin's team in Oxford a little later on.

Now, here's another example of doorstep crime.

Hi. My name is Betty and last year

a doorstep conman came

and thought he could steal my precious jewellery.

I would like to tell viewers how he was caught

and how they can avoid being caught themselves.

Betty sounds as if she has a poignant story to share -

but first, let's take a look behind the scenes

of a typical doorstep crime.

We mustn't forget that some rogue traders and distraction burglars

are just a front to a whole network of criminal activities.

The target of this crooked scam is an 86-year-old

who's keen for his story to be told to benefit others.

He wants to keep his identity private, so we'll call him Peter.

It was in July 2010 that a smooth-talking salesman

arrived at his front door in south-east London.

I was cold called by a salesman who was well-dressed.

He indicated that he'd had information that I was

a previous customer of a company no longer in business,

and that I was entitled to any remedial work

to the wall facings of the property.

By pure coincidence, Peter had been concerned about the appearance

of some cracks in his rendering,

so the salesman's offer of some free work seemed too good to turn down.

The pricing was never mentioned. It was just said that

the cracks would be covered by the warranty or guarantee.

I agreed they could have a look at the situation, and within an hour,

he said they could have someone, as they were working locally,

to come and start the work, which they did.

It was a classic doorstep ruse.

Sadly, Peter was the perfect target.

But before he could change his mind,

the door-stepping rogues got down to business.

But instead of repairing the cracks,

they decided to remove half of his front wall.

Within the hour, the men arrived,

and before I knew, there was a hole

three foot by three foot in the front of my bay.

What started as an offer to fix some cracks now had poor Peter

besieged in his own home with a gaping hole in his wall.

Of course, in classic conman style, it soon became obvious

that the "free work" first offered was anything but.

He asked me for money for materials, which I agreed to.

I did go to the bank, withdrew £16,000.

I thought at that time that was enough...

..but it didn't stop there.

You're right. It certainly didn't.

The crafty conmen then claimed that both the airbricks

and the paving around the bay window would need replacing.

I had to withdraw a further £15,000.

I felt under pressure,

but I just felt I had to get it done with.

By now, the rogue builders had embezzled

an incredible £31,000 from Peter,

but they still weren't satisfied,

and demanded another £3,000 when they completed the work.

Reluctantly, Peter gave them a cheque,

but now feeling uneasy about what had happened,

he took the brave decision to call Trading Standards,

who quickly made a shocking discovery.

The work that was actually carried out

was valued at only £2,500,

so this is a hugely exorbitant price to pay

for work that, frankly, wasn't necessary in the first place.

So it seemed that Peter had seen the last of his life savings.

But this was to be the turning point,

because money leaves a trail,

and the tenacious team at Bromley Trading Standards

were on the case.

'The next step was to find the money, and we did this by tracing

'the cheques and cash transfers,'

and more and more now, we are targeting

those who allow their bank accounts to be used

by way of forensic accounting,

and we will prosecute anybody who facilitates this crime

and allows rogue traders to use their accounts

to effectively launder money.

Their investigation led the team to Michael Anthony Joyce,

a man who was in the business of cashing cheques

with no questions asked.

We decided we needed to interview the suspect

to find out what sort of role he had in these events,

and following our interviews with him,

it became apparent that he had decided to enter into

a business arrangement with the rogue traders

on the strength of what was a five-minute interview with them

at a motorway service station.

Joyce admitted to a meeting with the conmen,

during which he agreed to pay cheques and bank transfers

into his account, totalling £291,000 -

the tidy profit from a series of ruthless doorstep scams.

Happily, though, the court wasted no time

in finding Joyce guilty of money laundering.

The court imposed a 30-month prison term in this case

and we were very pleased with that.

It shows courts take a dim view of this type of activity.

Their unfortunate victim Peter can take great comfort in knowing

that the gang's money man is now well behind bars -

and the Proceeds of Crime Act means that he's hoping to reclaim

at least some of his life savings.

Still, it's a tough lesson.

I feel I've been scammed, and I feel for other people

that must be in the same situation as me.

It's a simple lesson

of not entertaining these people, because they're quite unscrupulous.

They appear to be very nice

but behind that mask, they're after all they can get.

Although the doorstep criminals who targeted Peter are still at large,

Trading Standards are working positively to ensure that

the laundering of money is made much more difficult.

The golden rule for all these cases is you can stop it

before it starts, and that's simply by saying "no" at your front door.

Never accept any offers at your front door,

especially from a cold call.

Well said, Rob. Now, still to come,

the distraction burglar who met his match

when he tackled this lady from West Sussex.

I rang the police.

They said that they thought they would be able to find him

without any problem, because I also had his name.

At this point, we return to Oxfordshire,

where Trading Standards officer Martin Woodley is hot on the trail

of doorstep crooks.

Martin heads up a crack team

which is known for its rapid response tactics

to bring doorstep criminals to justice.

Today, he and fellow team member PC Jayne Newman are investigating reports

of driveway companies aggressively pushing for business.

They're responding to an urgent call

to a house where traders fitting this description have just called.

Martin and Jayne hope it's the same gang

who targeted another elderly lady this morning.

Going to have a chat with the victim, see what's gone on,

see why they've tried to...

how much they've charged her,

are they coming back to try and get the money from her?

And, if they are, we'll see what we can do to help her.

Frustratingly for Martin, the rogues are nowhere to be seen,

but after speaking to the homeowner, who also wants to remain anonymous,

it sounds as though it was the same gang.

They told her they wanted to tarmac this bit of road here.

We do not even know if it belongs to her.

But that's the bit they said they want to do for £2,000.

Luckily, the lady's said no,

and she's called ourselves and the police,

and now we're going to see if we can find them

and ask them what else is going on.

It's always wise to contact Trading Standards as soon as

anything like this happens, so that swift action can be taken.

He may have missed them this time, but Martin's not one

to give in easily, and nor is his colleague Jayne Newman.

What we're doing now is going to see another victim

that has been targeted by these offenders,

and we're going to see if there's any evidence of who they are.

Incensed by what has just happened,

the local man doesn't wish to be identified, but is keen

to do all he can to see that these rogues are stopped in their tracks.

He said, "Oh, I've got a leaflet for you about..."

I said, "No, I'm sorry, but I can't afford that kind of thing."

"Oh, but," he said, "it all needs doing."

"It's all getting in bad state."

I said, "Yeah, but I can't afford it!"

"You don't have to pay for it straight away.

"You can pay for it in the next three or four weeks."

"But we'll do it for you.

"It'll cost you £2,000."

I said, "I don't want anything done. I can't afford it."

Once again, Martin and Jayne have narrowly missed the crooks,

but, with common threads between the cases,

Martin's convinced it is the same gang.

What he's given to us is another card.

This card appears to have the same pictures,

same format...the only thing that seems to be different

is the name of the company, so...

we've got reason to believe there's a reasonable chance

that it's the same people, but just using a different name.

Knowing full well that these doorstep criminals are in the area,

Martin is determined to take decisive action.

We need to get on top of it.

It's something we need to stop as soon as possible.

So we need to go and find these people.

The quicker we can stop it,

the less harm there is to the residents of Oxfordshire

and all those vulnerable people they're trying to take money from.

In addition to reading your inspirational emails,

we've also really enjoyed meeting you in person

to get your thoughts on doorstep crime.

I think everybody can get involved to help stop doorstep crime

just by being part of their own community.

Scams are frequent and come in all forms.

It's difficult, if someone's pleasant,

to think that they perhaps have an ulterior motive.

Who would have thought somewhere

as tranquil and lovely as the West Sussex coast

would play host to a devious doorstep crime?

Well, 21-year-old Thomas Jeeves made it his playground.

The young man was well-known to police,

thanks to several convictions for theft.

But when he knocked on the door of 78-year-old widow Betty Lewry,

he met his match.

Betty, just explain to me how you came across

this conman in the first place. How did you meet him?

Well, he came about the loft insulation.

He seemed very pleasant. He was smartly dressed,

nice hair, and...

just a very pleasant person to talk to.

That initial encounter led to Betty having her loft insulated

by the company that Jeeves worked for.

They did a good job and she was pleased with the work,

so when Jeeves turned up on her doorstep several months later,

Betty didn't have any cause for concern.

He came to say that he wanted to inspect

the work had been done properly,

and I recognised him.

But did you check his ID when he came?

Yes, I did. He had it with his photo on it,

so that's why I wasn't suspicious at all.

And were you pre-occupied at the time?

Yes, I was going on holiday the following day,

so I was busy.

So I just said to him,

"Well, you know where it is."

So you stayed downstairs getting ready for your holiday?

And he was upstairs alone?

Yes. He was such a pleasant chap

that I didn't think anything about it.

In a way, why would Betty be wary?

After all, a familiar face, and a company that she trusted.

Little did she know that Jeeves had been sacked

by the insulation company,

but had kept his identification card despite them asking for its return.

While her back was turned downstairs,

Jeeves rifled through her bedroom

and stole some of her most precious and personal belongings.

At what point did you realise that your jewellery had gone?

It wasn't until the evening.

I went to the dressing table to get my jewellery

and realised that it had gone.

And what exactly did he take?

My engagement ring, my eternity ring.

Some of the things, naturally, that my late husband bought me and,

as I say, I was really upset because I can't replace them at all.

He'd taken the most precious things that I still had from my husband.

How much from a memory point of view does the jewellery mean to you?

The world, really, because my engagement ring

and the rings, well, I've had them so many years.

45 years we were married, and it's just gone.

As he left with his pockets full of Betty's most precious possessions,

Jeeves was cool, calm and collected,

but he had greatly underestimated her, because once she got over

the initial shock and heartache of what had happened,

Betty set the wheels of justice in motion.

I called the police, and they came out,

they were very good, actually.

They thought they'd find him

without any problems because I also had his name.

Calling the police was the best thing that Betty could have done.

Detective Constable Faye Satchwell-Bennett

headed up the investigation.

Betty was an excellent witness.

She knew exactly what had happened

and she was very consistent in her account.

Opportunist burglars target the vulnerable in society.

They met their match in Betty

because she could remember everything that happened.

With the information from Betty's statement, it wasn't long

before the police were able to trace Jeeves' footsteps.

Our investigations led us to a shop within Sussex

that advertised cash for gold,

and we know that on that very day,

immediately after he had stolen her jewellery,

he had gone to that shop where he had sold the items for £91.

Fortunately for us, they kept receipts

and he'd used his driving licence as identification

when he sold the jewellery,

and he then went on to a betting shop

where he bet away the money he'd got for the jewellery.

Awful. That's just £91 in exchange for the jewellery that held

over 45 years' worth of priceless memories.

Naturally, this news came as a real shock.

Very, very upset to think that

he could just sell my jewellery

for that amount.

And with everything that it meant to you.

Yeah. But...

That must have made it worse.

Yes, it did.

With the evidence stacking up against the suspect,

it was only a matter of time before he got his just deserts.

Many people will think this is a very brazen crime.

I think he relied on the fact that she was elderly

and that she would not remember him,

not remember his ID badge,

and probably take a period of time to realise the jewellery was gone,

so I think he believed that would happen.

With a strong case against Jeeves, the police wanted to prosecute,

but for Betty this meant the daunting prospect

of giving evidence in court.

-Did you hesitate about going to court?

-Yes.

I did think about it,

because it really is an ordeal,

but if it helps the police, I thought,

well, yes, I would go.

And how did it feel on that day in court? Were you very nervous?

Yes. Very nervous.

So did his defence try to accuse you of negligence

or being mistaken or anything like that?

They tried to make out that perhaps I'd left the front door open.

Also that I had a siesta.

You must have been incensed at that idea.

Well, I was extremely annoyed, to be perfectly honest,

because I'm not senile,

and I do know what I'm talking about.

How did you feel when you saw this guy in court?

Cos at the beginning you thought he was a nice young man.

Very plausible, very well-dressed,

but how did you feel on the day knowing he'd taken your jewellery

and invaded your privacy?

To start with, I began to feel a little bit sorry for him, I think.

-Why?

-He was young and what-have-you,

and I thought he had ruined his life,

but after seeing him in court and what he had been up to,

I think he deserved all he got.

It emerged that just three weeks before turning up at Betty's,

Jeeves had burgled an elderly man whom he'd befriended

a few months earlier. He stole jewellery,

used the man's bank card for purchases valued at over £1,400,

and wrote fraudulent cheques totalling £1,500.

But on the 11th April, 2011,

Thomas Jeeves got his comeuppance, when he was sentenced

to 21 months' imprisonment for distraction burglary.

'Justice had been done, but, as brave as Betty had been,

'the entire process was quite an ordeal.'

By this stage, you've been through

the trauma of having your jewellery stolen,

you've now had to deal with the police and go to court.

What have you learned? What's your personal lesson?

I'm very careful now when anybody comes to the door.

If they haven't made an appointment,

I won't let them in. Also, I had a chain put on the front door.

So now it's like Fort Knox, eh?

Yes.

Tremendous thanks to Betty for sharing her story with us.

It's comforting to know that, sooner or later,

the law catches up with doorstep criminals.

Well, now we move to Oxfordshire,

and the residents there must feel reassured

that Trading Standards officer Martin Woodley

is standing up for their consumer rights.

Martin and PC Jayne Newman are on the trail of a new gang of doorstep criminals

who are posing as two different companies,

cold calling vulnerable residents in Oxford

and bullying them into having their driveways fixed or replaced.

So far, Martin and Jayne have met three victims

and gathered several pieces of evidence against the gang.

As often can happen with a rapid response team,

their pursuit has been interrupted

by an urgent call from a worried consumer.

On arrival, this case has a striking similarity

to the others.

We've turned up at this complaint.

You can see they're doing two driveways.

Obviously from first indications

is that not enough earth has been taken away,

and the hardcore that had been left

was very poor quality. This is definitely not

a type one, which they stipulated on the paperwork.

This is just crushed-up rubble you could get off any builder's site.

It's disgusting that these crooks have tried to charge a fortune

for what is nothing more than rubble. Martin and Jayne

aren't certain if this driveway crime is linked

to the gang they've been pursuing,

but it's certainly given them plenty of new leads to explore.

Either way, rogue traders are targeting residents

on Martin's patch, so he intends to get hold of them

as quickly as possible.

We're playing catch-up at the moment,

but this is the sort of job where they just move off.

We're now going to do an area search.

We suspect they may be in another location.

This seems like a classic case of doorstep crime, but the good news is

that after interviewing the residents,

Martin and Jayne think they have amassed enough evidence

about these persuasive cold callers.

Within the last two days, with the information we've got

and all the information obtained from witnesses

and intelligence, we now know who we're dealing with.

It's very similar scenarios to what's happening all the time,

in these similar scams.

Martin and Jayne continue their enquiries

and are confident of a successful outcome.

And if any other doorstep criminals are thinking about

plying their trade in Oxfordshire, Martin has a word of warning.

Let me get the message out to those that think

they can come into Oxfordshire and take advantage.

It doesn't matter where you are,

we will even get warrants to come over cross-border

to come and find you and deal with you.

It's a great example of the essential work being carried out

by the doorstep crime team. Martin's dedication to his job

was recognised when he was awarded an MBE

for services to local government in the 2011 honours list,

although, being a team player,

it's an accolade that he's reluctant to take all the credit for.

I felt very proud, not only for myself,

but also for all the other Trading Standards officers across the UK,

because it's representation for everybody

trying to achieve the same goal.

And well done to that crack team in Oxford.

Well, there's time for one last letter.

This is from Jane in Wiltshire,

whose tip is to always keep a piece of paper and pencil handy,

on the windowsill or in your car, so that you can make a note of

any registration number or details of anyone acting suspiciously.

I think that's a good tip, so thanks for that, Jane.

As you know, we're here to fight back against doorstep criminals

and we'd really love to hear more about

how you have managed to stop them ripping you off.

You can always find the details

about how to contact us here:

All I can say is, thank you very much for your company,

I hope you'll join me next time. From all of us, bye-bye.

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