0:00:00 > 0:00:02All over the UK, we're hearing your stories
0:00:02 > 0:00:06of how you've been fighting back against doorstep crime -
0:00:06 > 0:00:08from rip-off rogue traders
0:00:08 > 0:00:11to cold-calling conmen, we're all united against them.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17With your help, we're spreading the word about how we can put a stop to their crimes.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20We're also celebrating the important and award winning work
0:00:20 > 0:00:24of Trading Standards and police teams across the country.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Today, two of the nastiest and most audacious distraction burglars
0:00:28 > 0:00:31in Cheshire get their just desserts, as police bring their campaign
0:00:31 > 0:00:34of terror to an end.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35This is one of the lowest of the low
0:00:35 > 0:00:40and not only do members of the public tell us or give us information about these people
0:00:40 > 0:00:42but so did members within the criminal fraternity
0:00:42 > 0:00:46because it's not a crime anyone looks upon favourably.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51And I'm in Kent finding out why the funding of an essential emergency service is under threat
0:00:51 > 0:00:55from doorstep crime, and meeting the brave home-owner
0:00:55 > 0:00:57who decided she had to do something about it.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I was just on patrol when a Neighbourhood Watch member
0:00:59 > 0:01:03had rung in and gave us a really good description of the man.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07So, to actually catch them - it's amazing, I'm really pleased.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Plus, a mother and daughter from Derbyshire win a fight
0:01:10 > 0:01:14for consumer rights, against the rogue roofer who ripped them off
0:01:14 > 0:01:16to the tune of hundreds of pounds.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I suddenly thought "I must be stupid to have given them the cheque
0:01:20 > 0:01:25"and to agree with this and as soon as I get home I'm going to ring them
0:01:25 > 0:01:27"and tell them I don't want it anymore."
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Hello and welcome along to the programme. Guess what?
0:01:35 > 0:01:37You have done it again!
0:01:37 > 0:01:40A thick wodge of letters and emails which I must say I find
0:01:40 > 0:01:42really fascinating to read.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46For instance, Ann Wills, John Alban and Gavin Gillespie all think
0:01:46 > 0:01:50it's about time the Government made it illegal to go cold-calling,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and I have to say, they're not the only ones.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55But let's get on with our first story.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Now, here's a type of doorstep crime that
0:01:57 > 0:02:00seems to be on the increase - charity collection bags.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04Of course, not every charity bag is a scam, but that hasn't stopped
0:02:04 > 0:02:07some criminals profiting from your generosity
0:02:07 > 0:02:12and stopping your items going to the charities that need them.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I've been to Kent to meet a community who've decided that
0:02:15 > 0:02:16enough is enough.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23In March 2011, local Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Julie Walker received a charity bag through her letter box.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Of course, there's nothing unusual about that,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32but Julie's eagle eye and quick thinking eventually lead
0:02:32 > 0:02:35to the capture of two doorstep criminals.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Today, I've come to meet Julie to find out just what happened.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Now, Julie, I know that you're very active
0:02:41 > 0:02:44on your Neighbourhood Watch team,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46but what exactly does that involve?
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Really, you get information from the police on the computer
0:02:49 > 0:02:53and you can look at that and see if it affects your area.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54Then I send e-mails out
0:02:54 > 0:02:57or I drop a little note in to people who haven't got a computer.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Then, one day, you noticed something rather suspicious,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02something that just wasn't quite right. So, what was that?
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Well, I had a charity envelope come through the door.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I picked it up and it was the RNLI.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12"Good! That's a really nice charity I'll give them something."
0:03:12 > 0:03:16So I opened it up and I just got my suspicions
0:03:16 > 0:03:19because inside was just a little plain white bin bag
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and usually charities have their names written across it
0:03:22 > 0:03:24and I kept thinking about this and I thought,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27"I don't know, it doesn't seem right really", so I rang the head office
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and she checked it out and she said,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34"No, we're not collecting in your area."
0:03:34 > 0:03:37So, Julie's suspicions were confirmed.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40The bag had been delivered by bogus collectors, who wanted to profit
0:03:40 > 0:03:44from good natured citizens donating to a good cause.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It's a serious form of doorstep crime and has huge impact
0:03:47 > 0:03:50on all kinds of charities across the country.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Last year, charity bag collections raised around £150,000
0:03:54 > 0:03:56which is a phenomenal amount of money
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and is the equivalent of running a lifeboat station for a whole year.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01So when people abuse that trust in that way,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05it really does have an impact on our lifesaving ability.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Unfortunately, scams like this are nothing new,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12but thankfully, Julie did exactly the right thing.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Now you're suspicious, so did you decide, then
0:04:14 > 0:04:15to take it a bit further?
0:04:15 > 0:04:20I did. I rang the police and I told them I was suspicious
0:04:20 > 0:04:25and they said, "Can you look out for the van and get a description
0:04:25 > 0:04:29"of the driver and, most importantly, the registration."
0:04:29 > 0:04:32So I warned all my neighbours, had them on alert,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and one chap rang me to say, "I've got some old shirts."
0:04:36 > 0:04:42So he put them in a bag, tied it up and put it outside by the gate.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45The van came round, stopped picked it up and so...
0:04:45 > 0:04:46He'd set his trap!
0:04:46 > 0:04:49He'd set the trap. He rang me quickly, quite excited,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53and said "I've got the number and everything", so yes...
0:04:53 > 0:04:55A real Inspector Clouseau here!
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Once Julie had relayed the description of the van
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and its registration number to the police,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07a call was put out to local units.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Inspector Simon Wilshaw was first to respond.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13So, Simon, explain to me where you were and what you were doing
0:05:13 > 0:05:15when the call came from the Neighbourhood Watch team?
0:05:15 > 0:05:20Well, I was just on patrol, going up the A26 in Tunbridge Wells.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23The call came through from our control
0:05:23 > 0:05:27to say a Neighbourhood Watch member had rung in and given a really good description of the van.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I had a hunch where it might be going, so I sat up
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and sure enough it drove past me.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35So you got them, literally, on the spot?
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Oh, absolutely, they drove past me, I was able to get in traffic
0:05:37 > 0:05:40behind them, call in on the radio to get some backup
0:05:40 > 0:05:43and then pull them over into a lay-by.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46What did you find when you finally caught up with them?
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Well, in the vehicle with the two gentleman were charity bags,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52a Google map showing the area where they'd been sent out
0:05:52 > 0:05:54to do their collection.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57In the back of the van there were bags full of clothing that
0:05:57 > 0:06:01people had thought they were donating to charity,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03plus bags of books and a load of scrap metal as well.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07A great result in catching them, but what happened to them in the end, what did they get?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Well, one of the males got an adult caution and the other one had
0:06:10 > 0:06:13to appear before a local magistrate's court and he was fined.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16It was absolutely fantastic that the Kent Police were able
0:06:16 > 0:06:21to take such swift action with such great results, but official figures
0:06:21 > 0:06:27show that the charity bag scam loses charities £50m a year
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and in this case, it was the RNLI that was about to lose out.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40The lifeboat station at Eastbourne is among the busiest in the country.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44The crew are well aware of the impact that doorstep criminals have on their work,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and on hundreds of other good causes across the UK.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50The charity relies on collections like this so when criminals
0:06:50 > 0:06:53abuse our name in this way with these bogus collections,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55it really does have a detrimental effect.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We think it's appalling because at the end of the day that money,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01which would be used for saving lives at sea, is no longer coming our way.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Our advice to anyone who suspects a charity scam might be happening
0:07:05 > 0:07:07in their area is to be vigilant.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Please don't just turn a blind eye and not report to the authorities.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Either telephone the charity that's relevant,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15or call the local authorities such as the police.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19So West Kent Neighbourhood Watch is to be really congratulated
0:07:19 > 0:07:22on their heroic attempts to stamp out this particular kind
0:07:22 > 0:07:27of doorstep crime, and they've certainly been watching the results with tremendous interest.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30It's all this preparing everybody, you know,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32"Please look, keep looking",
0:07:32 > 0:07:34cos everybody's trying to do their everyday jobs
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and they keep going to the window to see if the van's coming!
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So, to actually catch them, it's amazing, I'm really pleased
0:07:42 > 0:07:46and the RNLI get their money, don't they, which is well deserved.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50We won't tell people off for ringing us because they have a concern.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55It really does help us if we get information from the community.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58We'll be able to determine whether or not we need to respond
0:07:58 > 0:08:03and if we do we might get success and get some villains locked up.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- So play safe and call?- Absolutely.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I'm sure you'll agree that is just terrific stuff.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14A big pat on the back for Julie and her neighbours in Kent,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17and our thanks to the lifeboat team in Eastbourne
0:08:17 > 0:08:19who do a marvellous job all year round.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Still to come, a daughter from Derbyshire comes to her mother's aid
0:08:23 > 0:08:26in the fight against a rotten roofer.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28As soon as mum had explained what happened,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30the first thing that I thought was, you know,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32"this doesn't sound right,"
0:08:32 > 0:08:35there were definite alarm bells forming.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Let's now consider a more shocking type of doorstep crime,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45which has taken place in Cheshire.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49In 2011, the police here brought two distraction burglars to justice.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Both were given lengthy prison sentences
0:08:51 > 0:08:54for their heinous criminal activities.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Although the cases were not linked, and were investigated by
0:08:58 > 0:09:00different teams in the same constabulary,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03it's astonishing how audacious the two criminals proved to be.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07By telling them he was a police officer, just to distract them,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11that cheek allowed him to obtain entry to the address.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Impersonating a police officer is appalling,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16but there's much worse to come.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18How about a prison ID card?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22He'd been given a card that identified him in prison
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and was using that on his release to carry on committing offences.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The front of these people is unbelievable.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31It may be hard for you or I to understand how these rogues
0:09:31 > 0:09:34have the nerve to commit these crimes,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37but as Detective Inspector Groom explains,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41doorstep criminals don't adhere to a moral code.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45What your viewers need to understand is the people that commit
0:09:45 > 0:09:47this type of offence don't care.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52They don't care that the victim is elderly or frail or infirm.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55They go to work, as they term it, in the morning
0:09:55 > 0:09:57and they may turn left, they may turn right,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00we don't know where they're going to strike next.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And for that reason, targeting this type of offence
0:10:03 > 0:10:05is extremely difficult.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It may be difficult, but that's exactly what DI Groom
0:10:08 > 0:10:12and his team did when the first of our brazen doorstep criminals
0:10:12 > 0:10:17carried out a spate of distraction burglaries in the summer of 2011.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Distraction burglaries in themselves aren't particularly unusual
0:10:21 > 0:10:25but it's rare to have a big number of them all at the same time,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I'd expect maybe two a month.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30In July of last year we suffered between 10 and 12
0:10:30 > 0:10:33in the Crewe area alone which is extremely unusual.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37If the sheer volume of burglaries was out of the ordinary,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40the tactics used to carry them out were nothing new.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47He would identify elderly people's houses, knock on the door,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50claim to be from the water board, or a private water company,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52or say there was something wrong with pipes
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and use that to get inside the house.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Then he would ask the occupant to empty the cupboard
0:10:58 > 0:11:03underneath the sink and, of course, while the occupant was doing that,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06he was searching the house and stealing items from the house.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09A greater cause of concern to DI Groom and his team
0:11:09 > 0:11:11was that, in some cases, the distraction burglar
0:11:11 > 0:11:14was showing violence towards his victims.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20One of the offences involved him grabbing hold of the elderly victim
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and pulling her around the kitchen by her arm
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and eventually pulling her to the floor
0:11:26 > 0:11:30and she sustained some fairly significant bruising as a result.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33It was absolutely vital for the police to haul this crook
0:11:33 > 0:11:36off the streets as quickly as possible.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41Their investigation into the burglaries led them a 34-year-old suspect, one Oliver Boswell,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45who had already served one prison sentence for burglary.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51I was then left with a decision - we could either arrest him,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54but if we arrested him and didn't get any stolen property with him
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I was likely to have to release him on bail.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01That would then alert him to the fact we knew he was doing it
0:12:01 > 0:12:05and he'd either stop which was unlikely or move somewhere else
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and keep offending so that wasn't really an option for me.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Boswell, in my opinion, is the scum of the earth and we worked
0:12:13 > 0:12:16really hard to identify him as a suspect, and once we'd done that,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18nothing was going to stop us from getting him.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22While Oliver Boswell was using his prison ID card to gain access
0:12:22 > 0:12:25to his victim's homes, another distraction burglar
0:12:25 > 0:12:28who targeted houses in the county went one step further,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33as Detective Inspector Matt Durcan explains.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38It was the 6th January 2011, early hours of the morning,
0:12:38 > 0:12:43twenty past six, elderly people, and they get a knock at door,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45stating that they are from the police.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48The individual suggests or states there's been a burglary next door
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and they need to make some enquiries
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and before they're given time to think about it
0:12:53 > 0:12:56they open the door and the man's into the address.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01As the couple were about to discover, this man was not a police officer at all.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04He was a known criminal by the name of Anthony Sinnott,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06who had previous convictions for burglary.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10But by the time they realised, it was too late.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13The amount of property he got away with on this occasion
0:13:13 > 0:13:17was only about £40 or £50, but it's not the money, it's not the value
0:13:17 > 0:13:23on this occasion, it's the distress that its caused the two victims
0:13:23 > 0:13:27to know that they've have someone intrusively come in the house,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31dupe them, go through drawers and take what they want from them.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36It's yet another instance of the cavalier attitude shown by opportunist crooks.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41However, both Boswell and Sinnott were about to get their comeuppance.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45And we'll check in with those investigations
0:13:45 > 0:13:48just a little later in the programme.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Now, here's yet another example of doorstep crime.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56Hello, Gloria, my name is Betty and I wanted to tell you about the time
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I was approached on my driveway by a young man
0:14:00 > 0:14:02who wanted to come and clean my guttering,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06but as it turned out it was going to be a much bigger job than that,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and the cost was going to be in the region of £5,000.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Now, Betty lives in Derbyshire
0:14:12 > 0:14:15which currently runs a Trusted Trader scheme
0:14:15 > 0:14:18which is designed to protect residents from rogues.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Sadly for her, she wasn't aware of it, and when she was door-stepped
0:14:22 > 0:14:25by a dodgy roofer, she had a tough job getting her money back.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The good news is, it was well worth the fight.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32The vast majority of tradespeople do a terrific job,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36but it can be tricky finding someone who'll work to a good standard
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and at a fair price.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43In 2008, Derbyshire County Council set up a Trusted Traders scheme,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47which puts consumers in touch with honest and reliable tradespeople.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Several councils around the UK are setting up similar schemes,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55so it's always worth checking if yours has one.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56Electrician Jeff Clarke realises
0:14:56 > 0:15:00the importance of such schemes for consumers.
0:15:00 > 0:15:07I do come across people that have been conned before
0:15:07 > 0:15:08and it's very difficult
0:15:08 > 0:15:10because obviously no-one likes being ripped off
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and hopefully, through the Derbyshire Trusted Traders scheme,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16they can eradicate a lot of these problems.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Trusted Trader is a direct response to reducing doorstep crime.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26A lot of the vulnerable and elderly population here in Derbyshire
0:15:26 > 0:15:31said that they needed a source of reputable traders
0:15:31 > 0:15:33that they could rely upon.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36With over 1,200 members and over 208 different products and services,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40there's no reason, specially for the most vulnerable and the most elderly
0:15:40 > 0:15:44within our communities here, to take unsolicited calls on the doorstep.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50As I just said, Betty Park wishes she'd known about the scheme sooner.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56In June 2010, the 81-year-old retired nurse was door-stepped
0:15:56 > 0:15:57by Aquacoat Ltd,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00not to be confused with reputable firms of a similar name.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05It's a roof maintenance business owned by David Argyle.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Betty wanted her guttering cleaned,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10but she was coerced into meeting one of Argyle's devious salesmen,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13one afternoon at home.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19His name was Chris and he came into the house and sat down
0:16:19 > 0:16:23and then he showed me some photographs of roofs in Scotland
0:16:23 > 0:16:28that this firm Aquacoat had been cleaning
0:16:28 > 0:16:32and that mine would be all like that when it was finished.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Now, hang on a minute, she only wanted her guttering cleaned.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41But the smarmy salesman was intent on flogging Aquacoat's special roof coating process...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44You're right, I haven't heard of it either.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48One of the claims that Aquacoat made about this coating process
0:16:48 > 0:16:52was that it would insulate your roof to the factor of 40%
0:16:52 > 0:16:54which is simply not true.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57To insulate the roof you put down loft insulation,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00you don't just paint something on the tiles.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I'd realised then that it wasn't just to be the guttering,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05it was going to be the whole roof.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Then he told me what the price was - it was going to be £5,000,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and I said I wasn't going to pay that much.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Five grand to clear some moss? Absolutely preposterous!
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Now, it shouldn't have been a pricey job,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22but Aquacoat's salesman was determined to secure a big sale
0:17:22 > 0:17:24at any cost.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27He gave her the usual high pressure selling techniques.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31He told her if she was to contract today she would get an additional discount.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35He made phone calls to the office and the price eventually came down,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38he told her that someone nearby had died and as a result
0:17:38 > 0:17:42he could fit her in then, she would get an additional discount.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44All those usual tricks to try and persuade you
0:17:44 > 0:17:47to contract there and then, and to pay up front there and then.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Although poor Betty must have been exhausted by his sales patter,
0:17:52 > 0:17:57she eventually signed a contract and agreed to pay £2,400.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00She wrote a cheque for £800 as a deposit.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04But Aquacoat's dodgy contract was illegal because she wasn't told
0:18:04 > 0:18:07about the cooling off period for products sold in our homes.
0:18:07 > 0:18:13It gives us the right to cancel an agreement within seven days and demand our money back.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The way that Aquacoat operated was that the salesman
0:18:15 > 0:18:18would take the money, the deposit, from the consumer
0:18:18 > 0:18:19and bank the money straight away.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22They would try and start work almost straight away and certainly,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25within seven days so the consumer was put in a position
0:18:25 > 0:18:27where they felt they couldn't back out of the contract
0:18:27 > 0:18:29even if they changed their mind.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Sure enough, Betty DID change her mind.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34and she wanted her £800 returned.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38I was in the car actually and I was thinking about it,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and I suddenly thought, "I must be stupid to have given them the cheque
0:18:42 > 0:18:47"and to agree with this, and as soon as I get home, I'll ring them
0:18:47 > 0:18:49"and tell them I don't want it anymore."
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Well, wouldn't you know it, Aquacoat were less than helpful,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56so Betty got on the phone to her daughter Clare.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00As soon as my mum had explained what had happened,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03the first thing I thought was that this doesn't sound right,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08it sounds like the classic con person coming in,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12especially when she explained that he'd gone to the telephone
0:19:12 > 0:19:17to speak to his boss and he'd immediately brought the price down,
0:19:17 > 0:19:22and a few other stories he'd told her to bring the price down again,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and yes, there were definite alarm bells for me.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Even with gutsy Clare on the case, things didn't look good.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33After two weeks of speaking to Aquacoat
0:19:33 > 0:19:37and sending letters and emailing, and telephone calls,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41I realised that we weren't getting anywhere.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The lady on the phone was giving me lip service,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47so we called Consumer Direct to ask for their advice
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and see if there was another route we could take
0:19:50 > 0:19:53to pursue the matter.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Consumer Direct is a Government-funded telephone
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and online service providing consumer advice in the UK.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02They recommended Clare to contact Ian Howarth
0:20:02 > 0:20:04at Derbyshire Trading Standards
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Aquacoat were about to feel the heat of their enquiry.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Having interviewed David Argyle, we continued to get more complaints
0:20:11 > 0:20:16about Aquacoat and something like 60 complaints over the next year
0:20:16 > 0:20:19about the business, and we took statements from 14 victims.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22With a stack of evidence against him from disgruntled consumers
0:20:22 > 0:20:25throughout Derbyshire and the Midlands,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28David Argyle pleaded guilty in October 2010
0:20:28 > 0:20:33to charges of unfair trading and he was fined over £16,000.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Well, we'd hope that a trader getting prosecuted
0:20:36 > 0:20:39for this type of thing will send out a message to other traders
0:20:39 > 0:20:42who may be tempted to do the same sort of thing
0:20:42 > 0:20:43that they're going to get caught in the end.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Absolutely right, and thanks to the team at Trading Standards,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Betty did eventually get her £800 back.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54I've learned my lesson I hope and my daughter gave me a good talking to,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58and so I know that I wouldn't ever do anything like that again.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03No, I wouldn't - not at the door or anything like that.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I've been reading more of your fascinating letters
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and e-mails and by the way, thank you very much for those.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Linda Barker from Greater Manchester says she only speaks
0:21:16 > 0:21:18to strangers through locked gates,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20or failing that, through an open window.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24That way, she can walk away without them invading her space.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28On no account does she ever open her door to strangers.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31So it's a good timely reminder Linda, thank you for that.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Now it's time to revisit the team who brought two of Cheshire's
0:21:35 > 0:21:39most audacious and appalling distraction burglars to justice.
0:21:42 > 0:21:49Cheshire Police spent 2011 dealing with a spate of distraction burglaries that beat all records.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Amongst the crooks were two men who used shocking and audacious methods
0:21:52 > 0:21:54to enter their victim's homes.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58One posed as a police officer, while the other used an ID card
0:21:58 > 0:22:01from his previous sentence in prison.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Both were caught and convicted
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and in the case of the bogus police officer,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09it was down to the bravery of one of his victims.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Detective Inspector Matt Durcan led of the investigation.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Basically, what we do when we have a crime of this nature
0:22:17 > 0:22:20that we believe has been committed by a local offender,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24we get photos of local criminals who fit the description.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30On this occasion, the victim was fantastic - she was very elderly,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34but she managed to have a picture in her mind of this individual,
0:22:34 > 0:22:39and her evidence in identifying in identifying this offender was huge.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44In fact, this brave 85-year-old identified the fake police officer
0:22:44 > 0:22:47as Anthony Sinnott, known to the police
0:22:47 > 0:22:50for previous burglary convictions.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53When questioned, Sinnott confessed to committing the crime,
0:22:53 > 0:22:58and at Warrington Crown Court on 24th August 2011 he was sentenced
0:22:58 > 0:23:01to 39 months imprisonment.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It was a tremendous result, not only for the elderly couple,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08but also for DI Durcan and his team.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11If there's one offence that stands out in all the burglaries,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14it's your distraction offender against your OAPs
0:23:14 > 0:23:18because the detectives understand how vulnerable these people are
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and they need our assistance more than any other people
0:23:21 > 0:23:26and when we catch and prosecute a distraction burglar
0:23:26 > 0:23:29there's an absolute fantastic feeling in the department
0:23:29 > 0:23:31of achievement and success.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35The other distraction burglar used his prison ID card
0:23:35 > 0:23:38along with a tried and tested criminal technique of posing
0:23:38 > 0:23:41as an official from the water board.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Preliminary investigations had identified him
0:23:44 > 0:23:46as 34-year-old Oliver Boswell,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50a criminal known to the police for another burglary offence.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54To ensure that Boswell got the maximum punishment for his crimes,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57DI Nigel Groom wanted to catch him red-handed.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05We needed to get him in such a situation that we got
0:24:05 > 0:24:07sufficient evidence to charge him and send him to prison
0:24:07 > 0:24:10because that's where this man belonged.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14We monitored his movements to a particular address in Crewe.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20He went into the address and emerged a short time later
0:24:20 > 0:24:22and as soon as we knew the offence had been committed
0:24:22 > 0:24:26officers approached him in the street in plain clothes,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29grabbed him, he did struggle a bit, but he was restrained
0:24:29 > 0:24:30and taken to the cells.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Boswell, the violent thief who preyed on the elderly
0:24:37 > 0:24:40was sent to prison for six years on 6th January 2012.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43So, justice had been done, but the memory of the ordeal
0:24:43 > 0:24:47is certain to linger on in the minds of these poor women.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53The effect on the victims in Crewe has been quite profound.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58They've all been approached to see if they wanted to take part in this programme and none of them would
0:24:58 > 0:25:03and that's because they don't want to re-live the offence again.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06It' s affected the health of most of them.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Some of them now won't leave the house and all of them
0:25:10 > 0:25:14are extremely suspicious of anyone who calls to their houses from now on.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18It really has had a devastating effect on some of them.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It's just as well that the police operations were successful
0:25:21 > 0:25:24in banishing these callous men from the streets,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26to long-term prison sentences.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Both DI Durcan and DI Groom
0:25:28 > 0:25:32have words of warning for any doorstep criminals,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35who are thinking of preying on the vulnerable.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Those individuals that consider committing this type of crime,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42they need to be aware if they're not already that it's the lowest
0:25:42 > 0:25:45of the low, and not only do the members of the public tell us
0:25:45 > 0:25:47or give information about these people,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50but so do members of the criminal fraternity because it's not a crime
0:25:50 > 0:25:53that anyone looks on favourably.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56My team are fully focussed on this type of offence and we will
0:25:56 > 0:25:58do everything we possibly can do to stop you arrest you
0:25:58 > 0:26:00and put you in prison.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02You will not know when we're there,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05you will have to look over your shoulders all the time.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07You may be lucky on occasions, we only need to be lucky once,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09and you are going to prison.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Well, I think you'll agree, never were guilty verdicts better deserved than in those two cases.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Congratulations to Cheshire Police for bringing those two rogues
0:26:22 > 0:26:23to justice.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Before we go, Brian from Yorkshire has e-mailed us,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and he says when someone comes to his door cold calling,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34he simply says point blank, "no, thank you" and closes the door.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37He also says that he does not trust any tradespeople who arrive
0:26:37 > 0:26:41in plain vans, so thanks, Brian for all those tips.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44We're here to fight back against doorstep criminals
0:26:44 > 0:26:48and we'd love to hear more about how you've stopped them ripping you off.
0:26:48 > 0:26:54You can find all the details about how to reach us at bbc.co.uk.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Thanks for watching and I hope you'll join me again, next time.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd