The Committee will receive a presentation on the Cold Calling Control Zone.
Minutes:
Following a previous meeting of the Committee, the officer had been asked to provide details to the Committee on the Cold Calling Control Zones in Havering.
The officer explained that in 2006 Cold Calling Control Zones and the Cold Calling Protocol were adopted in Havering to encourage agencies to work together to combat doorstep crime and artifice burglary.
The zones were limited to six areas; these were as follows:
2 in Gooshays Ward
1 in Heaton Ward
1 in Elm Park Ward
1 in Wennington Ward
1 in Mawneys Ward.
The zones were popular with residents within them, the Police and the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT). However the zones had no legal basis and therefore were just a preventative measure.
The Committee was informed that the SNTs would investigate all cold calling regardless as to whether there was a zone or not. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) considered that the issue of proportionality was key to determining whether the acts of local authority in relation to Cold Calling Zones are lawful; under the Human Rights Act 1988.
The OFT recommended that the objectives of a No Cold Calling Zone would assist in achieving a crime reduction objective; an identified problem in relation to crime existed, in particular there was evidence of high levels of doorstep crime in relation to a specific geographic area in question; the size of the zone was limited; there was a high concentration of consumers who were particularly vulnerable to exploitation and there needed to be consultation with householders within the area of the proposed No Cold Calling Zone.
The officer explained that often following only one crime, the SNTs ask for a zone to be set up, however since the levels of crime were low, it was difficult to justify their effectiveness. The Committee was informed that each zone cost £3000 to set up, this included signage and staff resource, therefore the zones were not good value for money.
The Committee were informed of other developments that had been successful. These included the Banking Protocol, the Buy with Confidence Scheme, the Bogus Callers Working Group and assistance in the Operation Scaffold with the police. This was operated twice a year, checking on 2-3 wards each day to ensure that all builders working at the time to were properly registered.
In 2008, the Consumer Protection for Unfair Trading Regulations established an offence of “conducting personal visits to the consumer’s home ignoring the consumer’s request to leave or not to return”. Many trading standards services have used this legislation as backing for a door sticker, referred to as a “super sticker”. The sticker would be available to anyone, and it instructed cold callers to leave and not return.
The Committee was informed of future proposals, these included adopting the “super sticker” and distribute as widely as possible. Members asked that they all be sent some to distribute within their own wards. It was proposed that if this scheme was effective then the extension of cold calling zones would be dropped.
The Committee thanked the officer for a very informative presentation.