Link up to solve crime

West Mercia Police have united with nine other forces across central England to target criminals who prey on the elderly and infirm.

Operation Liberate has been created to tackle the problem of distraction burglars, who usually operate by posing as workmen or in other guises to confuse and trick the elderly out of a millions of pounds every year.

The aim of the system is to crack down on thieves who often use multiple identities and move quickly around the country's motorways.

As each individual force previously had separate databases, which meant thieves operating in a number of counties were not easy targets.

Last year, a total of 135 distraction burglaries were reported across West Mercia and another 40 such cases have been recorded this year.

But now police forces including Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands are building up a quick, accessible and common database of offenders.

"These people are the hyenas of the criminal world. They look for signs of weakness before they pounce, and can often operate as a crime family," said DS Paul Connop, of West Mercia Police.

"Many of those involved pose as workers with the utility services such as water, gas and electricity to gain access to peoples homes," he said.

"Other methods they use include looking for lost pets, asking for drinks of water and selling or buying items."

The software contains a computerised photofit system to allow elderly victims to give an accurate picture of the criminal.

This digital image is then stored and compared to thousands of existing pictures of known and unknown criminals and any possible matches thrown up on to the screen.

Since its installation in February, an average of one-in-four distraction offences have been detected.

To add to its range of functions, the IMS analyses movements and patterns of each criminal to predict the location of their next strike.