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Home Office

Answer

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to prevent distraction crimes; and if he will make a statement. [178418] Ms Blears: Distraction burglary is a callous crime against mainly older members of society. We are determined to do as much as we can to prevent it. We set up a Distraction Burglary Task Force in 2000 to gather data, publicise good practice and increase the awareness of the problem, particularly among vulnerable people. The Task Force includes representatives of the police, voluntary organisations, the utility companies, banks and local authorities. Many measures are now in place to prevent distraction burglary including in a number of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships where this crime has been identified as of local concern. These measures include improving the appearance and security of homes, sharing intelligence between all the involved agencies and educating people in crime reduction measures. In addition, from February to April 2004, the Home Office ran a publicity campaign to raise awareness of distraction burglary and to promote safe doorstep behaviour. Over 100,000 "How to Beat the Bogus Caller" leaflets were distributed, many regional and local newspapers published articles on local incidents and initiatives and over 30 local radio stations ran items about distraction burglary and how to combat it.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

422 c1415-7W; 178418

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Crime prevention Crime Burglary Leaflets Older people Publicity Crime and disorder reduction partnerships

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk