IN the last two years hundreds of people fell victim to distraction burglaries in West Mercia - almost a third of them were more than 80 years old.

West Mercia Police have renewed their pledge to crack down on the crime and have relaunched the Knock Knock campaign.

It reminds people to be aware of doorstep conmen who often target vulnerable people. Latest figures show that three out of four victims are women.

Specialist teams have now been set up to investigate incidents of distraction burglary and to target suspects and known offenders.

Using automatic number plate recognition the force will be able to trace vehicles belonging to suspects and it has promised that forensic investigators will conduct examinations at the scene of all distraction burglaries.

They will look for fingerprints and shoe impressions that could link potential suspects to the crime and any others committed in the area.

Assistant chief constable Howard Topping said that since the launch of the campaign in October 2004 the number of offences has reduced.

He said: "There was a total of 269 distraction burglary offences reported to police in 2004. Last year, that figure had fallen to a total of 137 offences, a reduction of almost half. We are determined to maintain this performance.

"The force is working hard to raise awareness about the security measures people should take before they let anyone into their home or ask them to do maintenance work and has produced a crime prevention leaflet, which gives people more advice about what they can do to keep themselves safe."

Police figures show that distraction burglaries are most likely to happen between 10am and 8pm on weekdays and offenders often pretend to be from organisations such as the water board, electricity companies, social services and charities.

Some of the advice the police includes: l Keep an eye on people calling in the area or acting suspiciously.

l Note the registration numbers of vehicles parked in your area for a period of time.

l Call 08457 444888 to provide information about suspicious people.