Tackling
rouge traders in Macclesfield
Officers from Macclesfield Police have joined forces with Cheshire
East Council in a crackdown against rogue traders and bogus callers.
A day of action took place on the streets of Poynton on Tuesday
6th September. Four multi-agency teams consisting of Cheshire
East Council's consumer protection and investigations team, environmental
waste officers, and VOSA accompanied local police officers in Poynton.
The teams made a number of checks on vehicles and people working
on local premises. Advice was given and some will be having follow
up investigations.
The day of action is just one of the elements of a wide ranging
operation which aims to tackle rogue traders over the next 18 months.
Officers from Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Unit and the
operational support group will be patrolling hotspot areas and
gathering intelligence on suspected offenders.
Those who commit these crimes charge large sums in return for
little or no work, preying on the victim's vulnerability. Research
has shown that those who commit such offences will also steal from
their victims if the opportunity presents itself.
Information also indicates that some may be responsible for the
theft of construction plant and equipment. In addition, it is believed
that the same group of offenders are committing offences in relation
to consumer protection legislation.
East Cheshire Inspector Catherine Mitchell said: "Bona fide
traders welcomed the initiative as rogue traders were damaging
their name and consequently their genuine businesses. We
will continue to work with our partner agencies to target rogue
traders and bogus callers."
Cheshire East Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cabinet member with responsibility
for safer and stronger communities, said: "We want the people
of Cheshire East to feel confident in who they purchase goods
from and are secure in the knowledge that traders are law-abiding.
These partnership operations go a long way to easing people's
fears as well as supporting legitimate traders."
If you think rogue traders may be at work in your area please
call the Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Team on 0845 458 6371.
JANE THIRSK
Watch Officer
Cheshire Police
Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Team 0845 458 6371
Police non-emergency number: 101
Other Homewatch pages of current relevance: Briefs (recent
crimes in the Macclesfield Division including Bollington, Kerridge
and Pott Shrigley).
If you haven't looked at the homewatch pages before we recommend
looking at the homewatch home page.
