Protecting Suffolk’s residents from the plight of scam artists and those preying on the vulnerable has always been an important priority for the county council.
Council officers working across a variety of teams at Suffolk County Council work day in and day out to ensure our residents feel safe, especially when it comes to those most vulnerable feeling safe when in the comfort of their own homes.
One way in which we do this is by establishing ‘No Cold Calling Zones’.
A No Cold Calling Zone is a nominated area where residents have stated that they do not want traders to cold call at their homes without being invited.
They are set up if they meet proportionality criteria that includes incidents of doorstep crime or distraction burglary, are a population more susceptible to doorstep crime, and are within a defined geographic area.
Residents in the nominated area are consulted with and with their agreement a No Cold Calling Zone is set up and an information pack, door sticker and street signage provided.
Trading Standards has set up zones in Suffolk, in partnership with residents, Councillors, Police colleagues and partners.
The zones have been designed to:
- reduce doorstep crime and distraction burglaries;
- deter cold callers;
- and educate residents and empower them not to engage with cold callers.
The first zone was launched in Maryon Road and Grasmere Close in Ipswich in 2009 and there are now around 10,000 homes in Suffolk covered by them, with over 20,000 further homes individually protected by the supply of a No Cold Calling door sticker.
Just this past week, residents in Kessingland, near Lowestoft, have become the 200th community in the county to be part of a No Cold Calling Zone.
The zone covers 96 properties in Hall Road, The Fellowship Green, Solomon Road and Maram Green, as part of a scheme run by Suffolk Trading Standards that works to make people feel safer in their homes.
The zone was chosen by a Trading Standards officer after a resident was fleeced of more than £8,000 by a rogue trader who called at their door.
The trader offered to clean the gutters for £30, which was agreed. However, upon starting the work they then claimed there was a broken tile on the roof, crumbling roof felt and the timber was damaged by water, and the resident ended up paying £8,150 by cheque.
Despite investigations, the trader was never traced although intelligence has been shared with other Trading Standards authorities and safeguarding is now in place for the victim, with their bank and family.
The new zone was formally launched with tea and cakes in a gathering of residents, councillors and police at the offices of Kessingland parish council.
Doorstep cold callers can often turn out to be unscrupulous people who prey on the elderly and vulnerable in their homes, the very place where they should feel safest.
No Cold Calling Zones work to deter that from happening by making it clear that residents in that zone will not deal with any trader who knocks on their door out of the blue.
I applaud the hard work of the community and the organisers on coming together in this way. These zones are proven to have a deterrent effect and I am delighted that we now have 200 such schemes in place.
Anyone wishing to nominate their road should go to the No Cold Calling page on the Suffolk County Council website.
