Gangs from east London with fake documents target Chiswick

Police have warned local residents to be extremely vigilant about door-do-door sellers.

They say there are a number of gangs involved in scams coming into the area from East London with fake identification printed from the internet.

Three people have been arrested recently by local police. There have been several reports of the practice in the Riverside ward.

Bogus window cleaners are also operating in Chiswick, and the police have also been checking out leaflet-droppers as well as people in fish-vans to check that they are operating legitimately.

A dedicated poice officer has been appointed to deal with peddlers.

Inspector Stephen Edwards presented the police report to the Chiswick Area Forum last week which showed that the area still suffers from a high proportion of thefts from vehicles. He said that number plates were also being stolen.

Cllr Sam Hearn asked how residents could identify a genuine peddler and Insp Edwards said that a certificate had to be signed by the Chief Constable of the area in which that person resided. Many of those knocking on doors had printed material off the internet. There were genuine door-to-door peddlers but police believed groups were travelling from as far away as east London to Chiswick and pretending to be genuine.

January 22, 2015