We use 'doorstep crime' to describe distraction burglary and rogue trading.

Offenders knock on the door pretending to be someone else. They may then:

• distract you to get in and steal items, sometimes with an accomplice
• pretend to have lost a pet
• claim they need to use your home phone
• claim they're from the council, a utility supplier (water or gas, for example) or even police

Advice

If it's an emergency, call 999 now.

If you're not sure, don't open the door. 

And always:

• lock all doors, even when at home
• use a chain or spy hole
• stop unknown people from entering
• tell the police about unwanted or suspicious callers by calling 101

You can also provide information to the independent Crimestoppers charity if you want to stay anonymous: call them on 0800 555 111.  

You can use accessible contact methods to contact us.

In our video below you can see Sarah Cohen, one of our crime prevention advisors, give a short introduction to preventing doorstep crime.

In the video below Sarah also tells you how to identify and prevent courier fraud.

In the video below you can see how one of our Neighbourhood Watch coordinators supports neighbourhood policing teams in Southampton.