1st Security Solutions would like to bring to your attention a worrying increase of cuckooing throughout the UK. For those not familiar with Cuckooing it involves the exploitation of usually vulnerable people by criminals taking over their home for their own personal gains.
Victims of Cuckooing may have their home exploited for things such as:
– Store, deal or used as a place to take drugs
– Used to keep illegal weapons or even stolen goods
– Facilitating financial abuse
– Sexual Exploitation
Its not always obvious that somebody you know or possibly somebody on your street is suffering from cuckooing so we have put together a quick guide to help the public identify some of the key signs:
– Blinds or Curtains closed frequently through the day
– The victim appears to be distancing themselves from friends and family
– The victim may not have been seen or a while, or seen less frequently
– They may lose their keys or access fobs more often
– An increase in anti-social behaviour, theft and litter in the area
– Smashed windows
Many people may not have heard of Cuckooing before but a large percentage of us will have at some point known somebody who has been a victim of it. We would like to build awareness of how serious cuckooing is. If you know anyone who has suffered from cuckooing, past or present, we recommend calling the police anonymously.