A team of crime-fighting pensioners has been trained by police to educate elderly people about the danger of bogus callers.

The eight-strong squad is visiting sheltered housing complexes and church halls to give advice on beating the conmen.

The project is the first of its kind in Scotland and has been hailed as a massive success by police.

Thousands of potential victims have taken part in

the Peer Educator programme, which was devised to provide pensioners with vital information from people of the same age.

A spate of bogus caller incidents has hit the Capital in recent months and officers are keen to spread the safety message.

Eight pensioners were recruited from the Older People's Equality Forum, which forms part of the umbrella of the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership.

Each member was given specialist training by the police's safer communities department.

Peer educator Betty Milton, who is over 70, has spoken to around 500 fellow pensioners at dozens of events.

She said: "These conmen are targeting elderly people because they may be frail, but it's also a generational thing. Older people are more trusting and that it is being exploited.

"When I give a talk I take them right back to their childhood. They lived in a time, especially during the war, when you opened your door to anyone. As young mothers they would leave their children in prams outside their tenement. Young mothers would never think about doing that now.

"We have to try and make them alert to the dangers of the modern world. Many are still living in their own generation but these conmen can be very clever."

Mrs Milton, a retired civil servant from Parkhead, added: "We understand how to communicate with each other and that's what makes the difference."

A dedicated team of detectives from the safer communities department was set up two years ago to gather intelligence on bogus callers.

The police have worked in partnership with Age Concern's Care and Repair Service to help train volunteers for the service.

Sergeant Bill Lowrie, of the safer communities department, said: "The idea for this came from my department as a tool to tackle bogus caller activity. Basically it's a means of getting the message across from someone who had empathy with the issues of vulnerability and older people's issues and anxieties."

A spokesman for Help the Aged said: "There is a greater chance of people discussing issues they are worried about and opening up if they are talking to someone their own age. Properly trained elderly people can be very effective at getting the message across."

DOS AND DON'TS THAT WILL MAKE LIFE HARDER FOR DOORSTEP FRAUDSTERS

THE peer educators have been trained by police to give advice to elderly people to protect them against bogus callers.

Among the safety tips they offer are:

• Maintain your home and garden in a good condition. This will prevent bogus criminals coming to look for work.

• Contact your local crime prevention officer and arrange a free crime prevention survey. They will offer you detailed advice on lighting, locks and the security of valuables.

• Only open the door to callers that you are expecting or to those that you know. It is extremely unusual for callers, especially professionals, to attend at a home without an appointment.

• Contact your gas/electric company for a password, which you can use to verify that employees from these companies are who they say they are.

• If you have doubts about the caller at your door, do not let them in. Alternatively, ask them to return later when it is more convenient and arrange to have a friend, family member or neighbour with you.

• If you are suspicious of callers in your street then contact the police