Epsom News
Police criticised over failure to catch con-man
8:46am Tuesday 21st February 2012
Police have been criticised for not acting more promplty to catch a con-man who has been posing as a builder.
The man has been knocking on doors telling homeowners he’s working at a neighbour’s house and asking if he could put his ladders in their garden, .
After gaining access, he tells the homeowner he has noticed broken roof tiles asking for between £20 to £40 to repair it before taking the money and disappearing. A number of incidents have been reported in Epsom, the first in late December,and on a number of occasions victims have handed over money.
Gary Kelly, 50, of Stoneleigh, was approached by the man on January 11 at about 8pm, refusing him access but not before capturing CCTV footage of the man.
He said: "He said he was working next door and could he leave his ladders in my garden. I asked who he was working for and what their names were because I thought it was a bit strange. He said he didn’t know but that his boss did. He asked me to open the door because he couldn’t hear me. I said no and he walked off. You shouldn’t answer your door late at night unless you are expecting somebody. But unfortunately a lot of people do."
Mr Kelly criticised Surrey Police for having "no sense of urgency" when dealing with the case after it took them nearly three weeks to collect his CCTV footage due to 'technical difficulties' and failed appointments.
He said: "It's incompetence. I don’t think the police should make appointments and not turn up especially when they are trying to solve a crime. They should have turned up to my house to download it and I have had no explanation or apology."
A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: "Policing is unpredictable and sometimes unfortunately officers assigned to undertake appointments can be delayed or will have to cancel meetings due to unplanned operational commitment but contact will be made with the victim to re-schedule the appointment again at a time convenient to them. In the first instance all effort is made to try and ensure the initial booking is kept."
Investigating officer detective constable Paul Thomas of Epsom CID added: "The initial incident of this kind was reported at the end of December and since then we have been working to identify the suspect. I would like to remind residents not to answer the door to strangers and if you do have a pre-booked appointment with a company make sure you check the identification of the person before you let them in." The con-man is white, aged in his 20s or 30s, of slim build and average height with fair hair and is clean shaven, sometimes dressed in a suit as well as other types of clothing.
Anyone approached by the man should contact Surrey Police on 101 quoting reference EP/11/5670, making a note of the vehicle registration and description of the man, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.