CrimeStoppers - supporting you in the community

Research carried out by CrimeStoppers, an independent charity, has shown that nearly a fifth of the public have known about crime but chose not to talk to the police.

Reasons given were:

• I do not want to talk to the police
• I need to report someone I know
• I am worried that others will know if I speak out
• I am not sure if what I know will help
• I do not want to get involved with courts

Whoever you are, wherever you live, from communities to companies you can report 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to CrimeStoppers 100% anonymously. In addition, they can also advise on how to protect the people you care about from crime, so everyone can feel safe.

Whether you call or complete an on-line form, once received CrimeStoppers create a report that brings together all the information you gave them, making sure it doesn’t contain any information that could identify you. It’s then sent to the relevant authority with the legal responsibility to investigate crimes, make arrests and charge people in order to bring them to justice. This could be West Mercia Police or an agency such as the UK Border Agency or HM Revenue & Customs.

Hundreds of thousands of people contact CrimeStoppers every year and below is some of the impacts that reporting has made:

· Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a crime that many people are now more alert to thanks to greater publicity and education. A piece of information we received about a man engaging in sexual activity with a minor led to a multi-agency strategy with the authorities now taking a lead through the statutory child protection process.

· Knife crime has been highlighted as a particular distressing issue due to the harm it causes and the prevalence amongst young people. CrimeStoppers received a call about an incident where two schoolboys were carrying knives for protection. Both boys, who were aged 14, were visited by the police and spoken to in front of their parents. This approach could go some way to discourage young people from believing the myth that carrying a knife will help to keep them safe.
There is also Fearless (https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless/what-is-fearless/who-we-are) where you can access non-judgemental information and advice about crime and criminality. This is the dedicated youth service of CrimeStoppers and still allows reports 100% anonymously.

You can give information to CrimeStoppers via their website or calling them on 0800 555 111.
CrimeStoppers cannot track your IP address or your phone number and they have no way of knowing who has contacted them.

CrimeStoppers are not the police, they are a charity. You will not be contacted by the police after passing information on to Fearless as the police have no way of knowing who the information has come from.