Hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people were invited to spend on hour learning how to defeat bogus callers during a day-long conference in Witham Public Hall on Monday.

Stan Culley, inspector Alan Cotgrove, Witham mayor Paul Heath and Lillian Culley with information leaflets

Crime reduction officer Trisha Staerck said: "In their era, it was normal for the elderly to accept at face value anyone who claimed to be an official.

"But today's thieves take advantage of their victim's good nature. Our message is to trust no one who calls at your door until you have made sure they are who they claim to be. Get a number from them. It takes only a few minutes to call and verify they are genuine."

Witham Det Sgt Vaughan High said the conference came when thieves were becoming more active as the evenings were getting darker earlier.

The latest incident was in Chipping Hill, Witham, on Thursday evening last week. A man offered an elderly woman a suitcase full of dusters. She refused, but he kept her talking while an accomplice sneaked in the back door and got away with a handbag containing cash, a mobile phone and credit cards.

The man also called at another house nearby but was turned away. There were reports of someone similar calling at homes in Church Street and Howbridge Road later.

"This sort of crime is incredibly common," said DS High. "These people just sweep into an area, commit their crimes, and move on. They have no conscience about preying on the old and the vulnerable . They care nothing for the misery they leave in their wake."

He appealed for everyone who thought they had been visited to call the police, even if they had turned the caller away. "We must know they are in the area if we are to catch them. And I must also warn that they often repeat themselves and re-visit their victims about a year later."

He added that it was foolish to keep cash at home. "Older people may not like it, but it is much safer to keep money in a bank or building society."

Published Thursday November 29, 2001