A national day of joint enforcement action, Operation Rogue
Trader, saw trading standards work alongside police to target
rogue traders and aggressive doorstep sellers last month.
Personnel from trading standards, police and other enforcement
partners, totalling 1156, undertook action aimed at tackling
rogue practices and raising awareness of the dangers linked to
engaging with cold-callers.
The operation meant officers were able to identify 708 individual
offences, leading to 19 arrests and the seizure of 39 vehicles.
Consumers were saved nearly £5,200.
In addition, action included 460 community-based awareness
events, which saw trading standards and police engage with the
groups most frequently targeted by rogue traders. Officers
visited a further 1,324 households, offering advice on avoiding
falling victim to rogue traders.
Community engagement continued online, with local authority
services generating 530 individual pieces of media and social
media coverage.
Operation Rogue Trader is a national multi-agency campaign
coordinated by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)
alongside Liberal, the Police National Intelligence Unit.
Activities during the operation included executing warrants,
identifying vehicles used by criminals through automatic number
plate recognition (ANPR), conducting intelligence-led patrols and
raids, and educating members of the public and
frequently-targeted groups before they can be scammed.
Liberal spokesperson, Andy Luckett, said: “Operation Rogue Trader
catches offenders and disrupts criminal activity. Rogue traders
tend to be involved in a number of illegal activities and working
with multiple agencies means we can seriously obstruct criminals
and get them off the streets.”
In contrast to previous years, the focus of this year’s operation
shifted from enforcement to crime-prevention, with more than
double the number of community events taking place.
Discussing the shift in focus, Louise Baxter, CTSI Lead Officer
for Consumer Education and Team Manager at National Trading
Standards, said: “It’s crucial to raise awareness of doorstep
crime and help prevent innocent people from falling victim to
these criminals. This campaign provides a platform to educate
people and put a stop to doorstep crime in our communities.”
Approximately one third fewer personnel took part in the
Operation this year as agencies and public services across the
country continue to experience the results of budget cuts.
CTSI Lead Officer for Doorstep Crime, Tim Day, said: “Despite the
decrease in the personnel involved, the number of offences
identified was not proportionally lower. It’s also telling that,
despite the high number of offences, there were far fewer arrests
than last year.”
“Rogue traders and doorstep fraudsters prey on the most
vulnerable in society. Working closely with the police and other
agencies means we can intervene sooner and safeguard potential
victims, but services are struggling under cuts and there is a
genuine concern as to how long enforcers can continue to protect
the public under this strain.”
