Beating the bogeymen at Teesside

The University of Teesside and Cleveland Police are joining forces to help members of the local elderly community ‘Beat the Bogeyman’.

A free awareness event for elderly people throughout the area is being hosted at the University on Wednesday 22 February, from 10.45am – 2pm. Registration takes place in the second floor reception of the Clarendon Building (off Southfield Road, near the Dickens Inn, Middlesbrough). There is a lift.

Information and advice will be offered about avoiding bogus callers and distraction burglaries. Bogus callers often disguise themselves as trades people in order to gain access to someone’s house, while distraction burglars keep the occupier talking on the front step while an accomplice enters the property.

Cleveland Police and Cleveland Fire Brigade will invite guests to sign up to receive free safety equipment, such as door chains and smoke alarms. There will also be a free lunch and a special look into the past with a screening of archive footage of the region from the Northern Region Film and Television Archive.

Jayne Villiers, University of Teesside Community Volunteers Project Co-ordinator, said: “Bogus callers and distraction burglaries can be horrible because the criminal plays on your sense of trust and decency in order to rob you. Our session is designed to explain how these criminals work and to show how they can be stopped. We don’t encourage tackling a would-be burglar though! Using videos and role plays our volunteer students, who have all been trained by Cleveland Police, will offer practical tips on how to Beat the Bogeyman.”

To find out more, or to book a place, contact Jayne Villiers on 01642 384280 or email: j.d.villiers@tees.ac.uk.

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