EVIL bogus officials who prey on the elderly and vulnerable have been targeted by a new campaign aimed at driving them out of East Lancashire.

Police have launched the Blackburn Community Crime Prevention initiative to protect homes in the area. North West Water has given its support by donating 25,000 stickers reminding residents to check caller credentials - and warning criminals to steer clear.

The scheme backed by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, with stickers available from reception at our Blackburn head office, as well as Blackburn police station.

The stickers, which will be distributed to homes in Blackburn Neighbourhood Watch areas, bear the message Bogus Callers Beware, Identification Required For All Callers.

Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators will also be alerted to bogus official crimes in their area as part of the scheme and videos aimed at educating the elderly on how to make their homes safe and secure will be shown to groups in the area.

Supt Eddie Walsh, head of Eastern Division, which covers Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, said: "Thieves who target the elderly and vulnerable are among the criminals most despised by the public.

"They must know that we are doing all in our power to make sure they do not succeed in their attempts to commit crime and, when they do, that they are caught and dealt with by the courts."

Blackburn crime prevention officer Sergeant Alan Holt, said that in recent months 11 people had been arrested for bogus official offences, which are being committed at the rate of 10 to 15 a month.

He added: "Elderly and infirm people are targeted by these people, who enter homes using false details and steal property. "They normally operate in pairs, where one distracts and the other searches the house and some are just children.

"It has even been known for these people to take elderly householders to a bank or building society and withdraw cash."

Paul Holt, North West Water's water operations manager for East Lancashire, said: "We are obviously very concerned that bogus callers are claiming to be representatives from North West Water to gain access to properties.

"As part of our commitment to our customers we have various measures in place to ensure that all our people who need to visit customers have proper identification.

"We also use passwords as part of our Customer First scheme and offer further assistance to special needs customers through the Extra Care scheme."

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