PEOPLE who trick their way into the homes of the elderly to rob them face tough police action from a new partnership initiative.

Burnley Police hope to clamp down on distraction and bogus callers by spreading awareness around agencies which have regular contact with senior citizens.

A conference on the problem will be held at the James Hargreaves Suite of Burnley Football Club on Friday, March 22.

Among those invited are community nurses, social workers, Age Concern, Help the Aged, Meals on Wheels, hospital staff and community beat officers.

Speakers will include members of the National Distraction Burglary Task Force -- set up by the Government and organisations working for the elderly.

Crime Prevention Officer PC Dave Sykes of Burnley Police said: "We are making a concerted effort with this. It is one of the offences everybody abhors.

"The hardest part is getting people to report it to us. An elderly person who might not have all their faculties might not know they have been a victim.

"The elderly who are fully aware make good witnesses. Bogus builders and the like latch on to someone with money and come back again and again.

"It's difficult to bring crime prevention into the equation. The only way we can succeed is to work with people who deal with the elderly and get community officers geared up."

Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust and Communities Against Drugs are funding the conference.

PC Sykes said many distraction burglaries were carried out by drug addicts looking for their next fix.