An operation to catch organised gangs of criminals who prey on the elderly in so-called distraction burglaries is being hailed a success.

Operation Litotes was set up four months ago to co-ordinate police action against thefts by people posing as official callers, across six counties in the South West.

The first criminal arrested as part of the project has been jailed and police hope further convictions will follow.

Detectives leading the scheme hope to join teams from other forces to further improve their fight against the burglaries.

Shopping list

The operation is run by detectives from Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon and Somerset forces.

Officers pool together intelligence from across the region to trace bogus callers working throughout the area.

"They are very professional in what they do," said the operation commander Detective Chief Inspector Norman Brown.

"These are people that are travelling the country with a shopping list of addresses for distraction burglaries," he said.

"These lists are often collected by cold callers, the Tarmacers and double-glazing salesmen, who are paid in cash."

By co-ordinating intelligence across the area we are able to arrest people for the range of crimes they have committed

Det Ch Insp Norman Brown

In four months officers have detected 43 offences that would have gone unreported and arrested seven people who would have remained on the streets for a range of crimes including deception, blackmail and burglary, he said.

Detectives have dealt with more than 400 victims of distraction burglaries.

Of those, 85% are aged over 70, and had a total of �147,000 stolen from them.

One man had been jailed for seven-and-a-half years for 23 offences of burglary.

Offences connected

The figures are in addition to the 1,000 distraction burglaries that are reported each year across the region.

"By co-ordinating intelligence across the area we are able to arrest people for the range of crimes they have committed," said Mr Brown.

"Instead of dealing with two offences in one county we're able to connect a string of offences across several counties to an individual.

'Great interest'

"That will mean locking people away for longer."

Part of the operation involves advice and support to elderly people to prevent bogus callers getting into their homes.

"We're acting on 16-weeks of intelligence with a year's intelligence it will be even more successful," said Mr Brown.

"Other forces are showing great interest in what we are doing.

"Hopefully regional police teams can come together so we get joined up thinking to tackle this abhorrent crime."