Success stories

The anonymous phone calls that we receive lead to hundreds of crimes being solved every year. Here's just a few of our success stories. Calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 really does make a difference.

Bragging criminals get caught out

A very serious assault in Reading left a man unconscious and in a critical condition. The local press made an appeal for information. A caller to Crimestoppers had overheard the two suspects boasting about the assault they had done and was able to give their location. The pair were quickly arrested and charged.

Unlicensed guns seized

We received a call last December about a man living in the Clipston area of Mansfield. The caller said that the man had an unlicensed, double-barrelled shotgun and ammunition. He was threatening residents in the local area with the weapon and lengths of metal piping. The man was subsequently arrested and charged with possession of a shotgun with intent to cause fear or violence. Police also recovered two further shotguns, one air rifle and 1,100 shotgun rounds.

Heroin drug-baron discovered

A single call to Crimestoppers informed us that there was a drug dealer in the Fife area, dealing in large quantities of heroin. The caller described that he was receiving kilos of the drug and distributing it to local drug dealers. His house was searched and police found £220,000 worth of heroin plus £90,000 cash, which was all seized.

Tobacco smuggling

Last July, we received a phone call about a criminal tobacco smuggling operation. We passed the information directly to Customs. Following an investigation, 800,000 cigarettes worth £120,000 were recovered.

Human trafficking: Arrests in Yorkshire

Last year, someone called us about people they knew of who were involved in prostitution and human trafficking. We passed this information to West Yorkshire Police, who subsequently arrested two people (a man and a woman). They were both charged with prostitution and human trafficking offences.

Child sex offender caught in France

Just over a year ago, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre put some appeals on our Most Wanted website, of criminals wanted for failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. There was huge publicity in the international media as a result. A member of the public in France identified one sex offender's location in France. The French authorities took action and the individual was arrested and extradited to the UK.

Jewellery thief

Last year, BBC's Crimewatch UK broadcast CCTV footage of a jewellery thief in the North West of England. The thief operated mainly in Cumbria and was believed to be responsible for stealing £80,000 worth of jewellery. After the programme, someone called Crimestoppers with information that eventually helped police to find the thief.

Stolen property recovered before burglary even discovered

Shortly after 8am one morning, Crimestoppers received a call saying that a golf club in Cleveland had been burgled overnight. The caller gave the address where all of the stolen property was being stored and told us that the stolen property was going to be disposed of in the next few hours. The details were passed to the police, who were not yet even aware of the burglary. The police checked the premises which had indeed been burgled. They then visited the address given to Crimestoppers, where they found a large quantity of property, worth several thousand pounds, which had been stolen from the club. A man was arrested and charged with burglary.

Planned robbery rumbled

We received a phone call that a 27 year old man was on his way to rob a supermarket in Cleveland. This information was immediately passed to the police, who sent officers to investigate. The man was arrested at the store after he was seen acting suspiciously and placing a scarf over his face. He was later charged with attempted robbery.

Credit card cloning

A caller to Crimestoppers gave us information about two individuals who were involved in cloning credit and debit cards. The police already had some information about these criminals, but not enough to arrest them. When they received this anonymous information, they were able to arrest the two men. Both men were charged with conspiracy to defraud and involvement in the cloning of debit/credit cards.

Drugs and cash recovered

Crimestoppers received calls with information about some local drug dealers. We passed this anonymous information to the police. The police were subsequently able to arrest two people and to recover 15 kilos of cannabis and half a kilo of heroin, worth over £70,000. They also seized over £100,000 in cash.