2007
Consumer Direct, the government advice service managed by the Office of Fair Trading, will share its complaints data with the police for the first time to help in the fight against doorstep crime.
15 June 2007
The pilot scheme with Hertfordshire Police starts today and will run for three months. It will involve 12 officers being trained to use the Consumer Direct database which currently holds details of over two million consumer contacts.
Of the almost one million cases logged by Consumer Direct last year 8500 were about uninvited doorstep callers.
Detective Inspector Fraser Wylie from the Hertfordshire Constabulary Intelligence Bureau said:
‘We have reason to believe that there is a strong link between rogue doorstep tradesmen and distraction burglaries and we are hoping that access to the Consumer Direct data will provide some real time intelligence to help us prioritise our resources.'
Jo Orsler, Database Manager for Consumer Direct at the Office of Fair Trading said:
'Trading Standards Regional Intelligence Officers already work in close cooperation with police intelligence units to identify rogue traders using Consumer Direct data. We hope that providing the police with direct access will give them an additional tool to combat doorstep crime.’
Consumer Direct is available on 08454 04 05 06
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NOTES
1. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service managed by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with local authority Trading Standards Services. It offers consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
2. Consumer Direct has around 350 highly trained advisors in 11 centres based in London, the South East, the South West, the East of England, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, the North East and Scotland.
3. The information and advice helpline is available on a single low-cost national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
4. Calls cost a maximum of four pence per minute from a BT landline. Calls from mobiles or other networks may vary. Your service provider may charge a minimum cost per call.
5. A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
MEDIA enquiries:
Frank Shepherd: 020 7211 8133
Email: frank.shepherd@oft.gsi.gov.uk
