Police across six counties are targeting organised gangs of con men who prey on elderly people in their own homes.

Officers in the South West are sweeping away force boundaries and sharing information in an attempt to pursue the thieves.

Detectives from Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire will work alongside agencies who care for the elderly.

Police said about 1,000 distraction burglaries are reported each year in the area with up to 10 times as many believed to go unreported.

Victim's plea

Bogus callers often pose as officials from utility companies, councils or as police officer to trick their way into homes.

Nearly a quarter of victims are visited again after con men sell on information to organised gangs, said Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Dalzell, from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Operation Litotes will be based at an incident room in Exeter where police on Tuesday showed a video clip of a 94-year-old victim who said: "I really do not want to live. He took my health from me as well as my money."

Devon and Cornwall assistant chief constable Nigel Arnold said: "Offenders travel large distances across force boundaries. They are known to be very organised in their approach."