Distraction Burglary
Police Operation
Distraction burglary home page Site map
Across England and Wales police forces have pooled resources to tackle distraction burglary.
Operation Liberal
Operation Liberal was formed in October 1998 with six member forces together with the support of the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the National Crime Squad to tackle the offence of distraction burglary.
The Operation has grown over eight years into a national database of Distraction Burglary intelligence and crimes. The co-ordination centre is based at Derbyshire Police HQ. It ensures that all forces are able to share a database containing information such as intelligence, crimes, nominal details, vehicles and photographs. Historically these types of offences are notoriously difficult to detect but the tactics of the operation team have been extremely successful.
There is substantial evidence to prove that the majority of distraction burglary offenders network with each other and associated rogue trader criminals whilst travelling large distances across force boundaries. Where there was no distraction burglary co-ordination the detection rate was invariably around 4%. However since the formation of Operation Liberal there has been a considerable rise in detection rates.
The operation employs the following strategies
Central databases
Forensic strategy
Police investigation and awareness
Public awareness
Crime reduction/partnerships
Operation Liberal works extremely hard with their partners (local authorities, health care workers, utilities and various voluntary organisations) to ensure the prevention and detection of such crimes, whilst looking after the welfare of our elderly communities who are in the majority of cases the victims of distraction burglars.
For further information on Operation Liberal please call Marilyn Barratt (Community Safety Officer) on 01773 572013 or DI Pat Parry on 01773 572014.
Last update: Last update: Last update: Last update: Last update: Last update: Last update: Last update: June 2006