Hi All

We had someone come to the station yesterday worrying that they had been visited by someone impersonating a member of the Police, asking for Ring Doorbell footage about an incident. Luckily this time it was just a mix up and the person was a member of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, looking for footage in relation to a fire that had occurred nearby. 

However, it is always wise to be weary of anyone who comes to your door if you do not know them, so if you are unsure who has come to your door and they are claiming to be a member of any public service, whether that is Police or Fire Service, please ask to see a piece of formal Identification. For staff such as myself we should always carry either our ID badges or be in full uniform with our collar numbers displayed clearly.

Here is some advise for if you receive a call from someone pretending to be Police:

Police officers will never call you out of the blue and request cash or personal information. They’ll never ask you to transfer money to another account, hand over cash or bank cards to a courier, or a pay a fine or fee over the phone. If someone asks you to do this, it's a scam.

If an officer contacts you in person, they will show you their warrant card. This is proof of their identify and authority.

If someone has called you and you are unsure if they are a genuine police officer, you can hang up and call police on 101 to check their identity by providing their collar number.

It’s recommended you wait at least five minutes and make sure you can hear a dialling tone before you call, as there have been cases of fraudsters keeping the line open after a victim has hung up.

If you think you've been approached or contacted by a scammer, you can report it by contacting us on the details below, or to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre or on 0300 123 2040

You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website.