AN elderly, disabled Stratford woman has spoken of the torment she went through after bogus callers robbed her five months ago. Mary Patrick, aged 78, of Waldron Court in Guild Street, fell victim to bogus callers last December.

Mary, who can walk only short distances with the aid of crutches, was called out of her house to look at a wooden bench in the communal courtyard which, she was told, needed repairing.

While she was looking at the bench with one man, another man slipped inside. She realised something was wrong when the second man came out of her flat but by then the robbers had fled with her red purse which contained £100 she had saved for Christmas presents.

She said: "I am just getting over it. My family have helped me but I was very frightened and felt awful for a long time afterwards. It was such a shock."

She added: "If anyone does call I keep the door locked and bolted and get them to come to the window and show identification so I can find out who they are and what they want and I would advise others to do the same."

Bogus caller crime is on the rise throughout the country but the full scale of the problem is almost impossible to detect.

In most incidents the victims are elderly and are reluctant to report the offences because of embarrassment, fear, or a belief that reporting the crime is futile. Some are unaware they have been burgled.

In South West England there were nearly 1,000 reported cases of bogus caller crime in the year to March 2001 but the Home Office estimates that the actual figure could be 10 times higher.

Gloucestershire Police launched a crackdown last month. The Beat the Bogus Caller campaign involves five forces from across the South West which are working together to share intelligence and information.

Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Merrick, head of Gloucestershire CID, said: "What is important is to tell the police as soon as possible."

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Tim Brain said the effect of being a victim could be devastating for an elderly person. "For some victims the shock and distress caused by this type of offence means they can no longer live independently, some have to move into more secure accommodation and for some the shock has been so severe they have never recovered and have died as a result."

West Mercia Police teamed with nine other forces across the country in Operation Liberate, which was launched in February.

In the last 12 months, there have been 26 reports of bogus callers in the Vale - 14 in Evesham and 12 in Pershore.

Detective Sergeant Paul Connop, who is leading the initiative for West Mercia, said: "The co-ordinated approach to tackling this problem through Operation Liberate is proving a major success. One in four offences is now detected.

"It is important that other members of the community also play their part by looking out for elderly relatives and neighbours. If they do become aware of suspicious callers at their homes they should offer support. Quite often the appearance of a neighbour is enough to deter these people."

South Warwickshire police are promoting a new device that alerts elderly people to the risk of bogus callers.

The Memo Minder allows a message to be recorded to remind people to close their door on unexpected callers, and has been given to victims of distraction burglaries. The message is triggered every time the homeowner goes to answer their door.

Guidelines for dealing with callers:

ALWAYS use a door chain and door viewer when answering the door.

ALWAYS ask to see an identification card and then ring the organisation to check the legitimacy of the caller.

NEVER let a stranger into your home unless you are confident that they are genuine.

IF you are still unsure you can always ask the caller to call back when you have someone with you (a genuine caller won't mind doing this).

DON'T keep large amounts of cash at home.