DODGY doorstep callers will be given a tough time in Ryedale - thanks to a new check card scheme.

Community partnership Safer Ryedale has produced a card to give vulnerable residents easy-to-follow advice on how to deal with unexpected visitors.

PC Terry Triffitt, Ryedale community safety officer, said many burglars and opportunistic thieves used sophisticated tactics, including false ID cards, to gain entry into homes to commit crimes.

"We know this is a problem not just locally, but nationally, and Safer Ryedale decided that by producing an easy-to-follow card with advice and information for vulnerable residents we could give some practical help and support", said PC Triffitt.

The doorstep check cards list phone numbers for the main utility companies, so anyone keen to check the validity of a caller can do so quickly.

On the reverse of the card is a check list of things people should ask unexpected visitors before they allow them into their home, along with guidelines on what not do to, such as handing over money on the doorstep.

Kath Taylor, chairman of the Ryedale Forum For Older People, said anything that helped elderly and vulnerable people feel more confident when they answer the door was welcomed. But she also stressed the issue was a much bigger one.

"What we really have to focus on is a better sense of social responsibility, especially among younger people and from parents to children," said Ms Taylor. "Sadly older people are too trusting and will take callers at the door at face value, so we have to educate society to take account of this and all do our bit to make our communities safer".

The doorstep check cards were designed by Millennium Volunteer Ben Hall, a sixth-form student at Malton Secondary School, who has been working part-time with Safer Ryedale on several new projects. In total 5,000 of the cards will be distributed to vulnerable residents across Ryedale.

Updated: 11:43 Saturday, November 15, 2003