THE Daily Echo has been praised by the government for leading the way in the campaign against thieves who target the elderly in their own homes.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears today described the On Your Guard initiative as "welcome" on the day she launched a national drive to protect pensioners against bogus callers.

The Daily Echo launched its crusade at the end of January in a bid to make older people safer.

Backed by Hampshire police, pensioners' charity Age Concern and Hampshire MPs, the campaign aims to cut the number of crimes against elderly people by highlighting how they can protect themselves.

Today - five weeks after On Your Guard was launched - the government was due to unveil a national initiative warning the elderly against becoming the victims of bogus callers.

The Home Office is responding to the growing number of older residents who fall victim to burglars who trick their way into their homes and then steal from them.

Posters and leaflets will be distributed across the county and crime prevention officers from Hampshire police will be identifying residents at risk and providing them with safety advice, which also forms part of the Daily Echo campaign.

Mrs Blears, who is the minister responsible for the police, said: "I welcome the campaign by the Daily Echo. Preying on the elderly and most vulnerable members of society is a particularly despicable crime, which causes immense distress to victims and their families."

On Your Guard was launched in response to the number of pensioners being left traumatised after being robbed in their own homes.

Since the start of the year up to 50 pensioners across Hampshire have become victims.

In January the Daily Echo reported how 84-year-old Rosemary Gibaud chased three men out of her Gosport home with a broom after finding them going through her bedroom.

One of the burglars escaped through the back door before locking Mrs Gibaud in and taunting her through the window.

"What concerns me is that he felt it was all right to rob pensioners," she said, following the burglary.

"People need to be warned."

Other incidents highlighted in the Daily Echo include criminals posing as bogus officials in order to get into old people's homes.

The new national initiative is being backed by celebrities including Esther Rantzen, who has a home in the New Forest.

"I support this campaign because it aims to alert older people to ways in which they can protect themselves more effectively at home," she said.

ON YOUR GUARD CAMPAIGN TIPS FOR KEEPING SAFE:

Keep all windows and doors locked at all times and always use a door chain and door viewer when answering the door.

Do not let people you do not know into your home until you have checked that they are who they say they are.

Check any canvassers' identity badges thoroughly and if they do not have one with a photograph refuse to let them in until you verify their identity with the organisation they purport to represent.

Keep chains on doors while checking ID badges. Don't feel bad about asking them to pass it through the door and, if they won't, just shut the door.

If you are still unsure telephone the organisation they claim to represent. Look in the telephone directory or at a recent bill received from the organisation rather than ringing the number they give you.

Utility companies like gas, electricity and water will have contact details, so if you do not believe the person at your door is who they say they are, send them away and request they write to you instead.

If the person at your door tries to gain access by coercion then calmly ask them to leave. If they persist then either ring 999 or shout 'Fire!' to get neighbours' attention.