Did you know?

• The average age of victims is 78
• Seventy seven per cent of victims are female 
• Distraction burglary often results not just in the theft of property, but can also have a significant impact upon the victim's health and life expectancy
• Whilst the problem of distraction burglary in Oxfordshire is not the worst in the country, it still remains a cause for concern

What you can do to stay safe

The first thing is to keep all doors locked. When answering the door go through the following steps:

• Stop and think, are you expecting anybody?
• Chain. Put this on before you answer the door to keep control of the situation
• Check. Ask for identification, take it and look at it carefully

Close the door and call the organisation that they say they work for if you are not sure. The numbers that you need will be in the phone book or on your last bill. 

• Remember, you can say no
• If in doubt, do not let them in

What we doing to tackle bogus callers

Following on from the successful Oxfordshire Distraction Burglary Seminar, the Safer Communities Unit is leading on the development of a county-wide group to take forward some of the proposed actions. These include identifying those most at risk of being a victim and implementing interventions as well as raising awareness of the issue.