POLICE from Chippenham and Salisbury divisions, as well as officers from the Customs and Excise Service, joined together this week in an operation to discourage conmen and burglars who prey on elderly and vulnerable people.

They took up position at five locations around Marlborough as part of Operation Litotes, a regional initiative to combat distraction burglaries.

Criminals call at the homes of vulnerable people, possibly with overgrown gardens or driveways in need of repair, and pose as anything from waterboard officials to social workers, or even policemen.

Despite frequent campaigns by Wiltshire Police and regular stories about the ordeals faced by the victims of these heartless crimes, the incidence of distraction burglaries is on the increase and the police have now started to take a different tack on them.

Detective Inspector Sid Kimber said that intelligence gleaned from investigating these offences led police to believe that the criminals tend to target the Marlborough area on a Monday, and so police set up investigation points on the A345 Swindon road, the A4 at Beckhampton, the A4 Hungerford road, the A338 Tidworth road and the A345 Pewsey road on Monday.

A police spotter car took note of suspicious vehicles with a number of men in them and mainly vehicles from outside the area. Women with children and shopping were not stopped.

Once pulled over, drivers were asked where they had come from, what the reason for their journey was and what, if anything, they were carrying. DI Kimber said his officers were not expecting to make any arrests but if they could discourage criminals from targeting Marlborough it would help.

DI Kimber said: "It is highly unlikely that the people who commit this kind of crime are local.

"These people cross police boundaries and sometimes commit crimes many miles apart in the same day. It is obvious from the descriptions that it is the same people."

In Marlborough there have been 16 distraction burglaries, or attempted burglaries, reported in the last year.

Even in the cases where nothing is taken, the injured party, often an elderly man or woman easily confused and unable to give evidence in court even if the offender is brought to book, suffers great distress because they feel their good nature has been taken advantage of. Such experiences increase their feelings of isolation and helplessness.

DI Kimber said: "We want to assure local people that we take these offences very seriously and that we do care. By their very nature they are very difficult to detect and the criminals play on the vulnerability of their victims."

Because the criminals are often attracted by unkempt gardens, police work closely with Wiltshire Social Services and organisations like Help The Aged and Age Concern to arrange to have the old people's gardens tidied up.

DI Kimber said: "I would also appeal to the neighbours of vulnerable people to keep an eye on them and make sure they are all right, and report any strangers calling on them to the police immediately.

"There have been occasions that genuine water officials have been reported but I would rather have that than have another elderly victim taken advantage of."

Customs and Excise officers from Uxbridge, Middlesex, were also on patrol at the five sites on Monday.

Often reports of thefts of red diesel from farms go hand-in-hand with distraction burglaries and vehicles pulled over had their tanks checked by the officers before they were allowed to drive on.

Although no figures of how many vehicles were stopped were available at the time of going to press, Mr Kimber said that a number of cars had been stopped and details taken. One person is being investigated for the suspected illegal use of red diesel.

A similar operation was carried out the following day in Salisbury with similar results.

Mr Kimber said: "The result of this operation is small in comparison with the impact and the amount of information we can get out in the media. Your co-operation is invaluable in getting out the message that everyone should look out for the elderly and vulnerable and keep their eyes open for suspicious activities.

"Together we can crack this problem."

lcowen@newswilts.co.uk