distraction burglary final · humiliated for trusting the callers and allowing them into their...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: distraction burglary final · humiliated for trusting the callers and allowing them into their home. It can lead to a serious loss of confidence in elderly people and can disproportionately](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060308/5f0a29bd7e708231d42a50df/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
DistractionburglaryduringapandemicGloriaLaycockUCLJillDandoInstituteTheproblemDistractionBurglaryoccurswhereafalsehood,trickordistractionisusedonanoccupantofadwellingtogain,ortrytogain,accesstothepremisestocommitburglary.Itincludescaseswheretheoffenderfirstentersthepremisesandsubsequentlyusesdistractionmethodsinordertoremainonthepremisesorgainaccesstootherpartsofthepremisesinordertocommitburglary(forexample,byposingasatradesperson).WhatweknowaboutdistractionburglaryandhowweknowitAnONSreport(2017)notesthateachyearsinceMarch2004(whendatawerefirstavailable),lessthan5%ofdomesticburglariesrecordedbythepolicewereclassifiedas“distractionburglaries”;thisproportiondeclinedformuchoftheperiodfrom2008-2017.Itiscurrentlyabout1%ofallburglaries.Distractionburglars,orboguscallers,oftenoperateinpairstargetingtheelderlyandvulnerable.AnearlystudysetinWestYorkshirereportedthattheaverageageofdistractionburglaryvictimswas77andmorethanhalfwereover80.Forexample,between1April2019and31March2020therewere1871residentialburglariesreportedtoNorthYorkshirePolice.Only26weredistractionburglaries(1%),but73%ofthoseinvolvedvictimsaged65ormore.Thisoffencecausesagreatdealofdistresstovictims,whooftenreportfeelingstupidandhumiliatedfortrustingthecallersandallowingthemintotheirhome.Itcanleadtoaseriouslossofconfidenceinelderlypeopleandcandisproportionatelyaffecttheirhealth.Generally,oldervictimsofcrimearetwiceaslikelytodieorneedtoenterresidentialcarethannon-victimisedpeopleofthesameage.Some56%ofelderlyvictims(agedover60)lettheburglarinwiththeremaindergainingentryuninvited.Themainriskfactorswhenoffenderswerevoluntarilyadmittedwerereceivingfewerregularvisitors,believingthatthecaller’sstoryrangtrueandfewerdoorstepcheckingbehaviourspre-incident.Thesevictimsalsoreportedhigherlevelsofinitialtrauma.Ofthosesufferingdistractionburglary,68%wereawareofitasapossibilitybeforetheincidentbutmostofthemessagestheypickedupweregeneralwarningsratherthanofferingspecificadvicesuchasnotopeningdoorsorfittingadoorchain.Whatwethinkmighthappeninthecovid-19pandemicTheremaybeanincreaseindistractionburglariesamongsttheelderly,whoremainathomeoftenalone,andvulnerabletothosewhoarriveofferingsupport.Theymaywearmasksostensiblyto‘reducetheriskofinfection’,whichalsoprovidessomedisguise.Thiswillbeginassoonaswidespreadself-isolationkicksinandopportunitiesforbreakingandenteringreducebecauseoftheincreasedoccupancyoffamilyhomesduringtheday.
![Page 2: distraction burglary final · humiliated for trusting the callers and allowing them into their home. It can lead to a serious loss of confidence in elderly people and can disproportionately](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060308/5f0a29bd7e708231d42a50df/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
UCL JDI Special Series 1: Coronavirus
About this series: This is brief 2 of a series of short, speculative papers developed by the UCL Jill Dando Institute to support the police services during the current pandemic. The raison d’être of the series is fully described at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/jill-dando-institute/research/covid-19-special-papers .
Someideasinresponse1. Althoughcurrentlyonly1%ofburglariesareclassifiedasdistraction,thevictimsare
disproportionatelyelderly.Carefulanalysisofpolicereporteddatashouldrevealtheextentofthisandwhetherornotthereisanyconcentration,forexampleinmoreisolatedlocationsorvillages.Thisanalysiswouldsupportspecifictargetingofcrimepreventionadvice.
2. Ifhotspotsareidentifiedthenworkwithlocalparishcouncilstoprovidespecificadviceoninstallingdoorchains,ratherthangeneralawarenessraising.
3. Alertlocalnewspapers,villagemagazinesandotheroutletsthatmightbereadbyelderlyresidents,againofferingspecificadvice.
4. Suggestaneighbourhoodorcocoonwatchpayingparticularattentiontotheelderlylivingalone.
5. Askfamiliesandneighbourstocheckontheelderlyandsingleoccupancyhouseholdscautioningagainstuninvited/unexpectedvisitorsseekingtogainentry.
6. Establishlocalsignagetomakeclearthatdoorstepsalesorunplannedcallsarenotacceptableinthearea.
Relevantresources:Lister,S.,D.WallandJBryan(2004)EvaluationoftheLeedsDistractionBurglaryInitiativeHomeOfficeOnlinereport44/04availableherehttp://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.524.7720&rep=rep1&type=pdfOfficeofNationalStatisticsOverviewofburglaryandotherhouseholdtheft:EnglandandWales2017availableherehttps://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/overviewofburglaryandotherhouseholdtheft/englandandwales#what-are-the-long-term-trendsOfficeofNationalStatisticsCrimeinEnglandandWales:yearendingSeptember2019Availablehere:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2019OfficeofNationalStatisticsNatureofCrime:BurglaryyearendingMarch2018availablehere:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/natureofcrimeburglaryThornton,A.,CHatton,CMalone,T.Fryer,DWalker,J.CunninghamandN.Durrani(2003)DistractionburglaryamongstolderadultsandethnicMinorityCommunitiesHomeOfficeResearchStudy269availablehere:http://library.college.police.uk/docs/hors/hors269.pdf