Feeling safe in your home is an important consideration for all individuals. There are different aspects of safety ranging from abuse to actions you can take to make yourself feel safer.
Crime, fear of crime, and anti-social behaviour is an important consideration in the quality of life of local communities.
Doorstep safety
Bogus callers, sometimes known as doorstep thieves, are people who trick their way into peoples' homes with the intention of stealing money or property.
These people often work in teams of 2 or more and they usually prey on people who are older or vulnerable.
Bogus callers can be anyone and use many different ways to gain entry to your home. They pretend to be council officials, workmen from the gas or water board, or even the police.
Most official companies will send you a letter first and you can ask your gas, water or electricity supplier to give you a unique password for additional security.
Scams
Scams are frauds and tricks designed to cheat people out of their money. Scammers approach people in a variety of ways including by phone, post or online.
Anyone can fall for a scam, but the average age of a scam victim is 74. Lonely older people are more likely to be scammed than those who have family members or friends to support them.
Cheating people out of their money is financial abuse and we have a duty to protect vulnerable people from abuse under the Care Act 2014.
Read more about fighting back against scams.