The independent charity Crimestoppers has announced the appointment of entrepreneur and local businessman Philip Gomm as the new volunteer Chairman for the charity in Thames Valley. [14 November 2012]

Mr Gomm, a lifelong resident of Thames Valley, is a passionate advocate for ensuring that the needs and concerns of both rural and urban areas are met with regards to fighting crime & helping make our communities a better place in which to live.

Above from left to right: Chair of Thames valley Crimestoppers Philip Gomm, Chief Constable Sara Thornton and ex-Chair John Gamon (photo courtesy of Thames Valley Police)

Speaking of his appointment Mr Gomm said: “My first priority as chair is to recruit even more dedicated volunteer committee members; people who care about their community and believe that everyone has a right to live without fear of crime.   All too often information or suspicions about criminal activity goes unreported because people are too scared of reprisals. Crimestoppers removes that fear by providing a way to speak up, secure in the knowledge that something will be done whilst the caller’s own safety is maintained.”

Stepping down after a five year term, out-going chairman John Gamon CBE welcomed Mr Gomm to his new role and commented: “With Phil making the transition from deputy to chairman the continued success of Crimestoppers in Thames Valley is secured.  He has strong community and partnership links and has been instrumental in our local school and rural crime work.”

Crime information received anonymously by the charity and passed on to Thames Valley Police has increased by 8% over the last 12 months (Oct 2011 to Sept 2012) compared to the previous year.   This is intelligence that the police may not otherwise have received because the caller did not want to speak to them directly or risk being identified.

Chief Constable for Thames Valley Police, Ms Sara Thornton CBE QPM remarked: “On behalf of my police force and the people of Thames Valley I want to personally thank John and his committee for their dedication to helping us detect and reduce local crime.  Thames Valley Police recorded the second largest fall in crime out of all 43 forces across England and Wales, according to a recent Office for National Statistics report and a key element to that success is strong partnership work.”

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer for Crimestoppers should fill out the online volunteer enquiry form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/volunteer.

To give information about crime anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or go online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.  Contacting the charity is completely anonymous, calls are not recorded, IP addresses are untraceable and no one will ever know you called.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Julia Hughes,Thames Valley Crimestoppers, julia.hughes@crimestoppers-uk.org

Notes to Editors: Crimestoppers

• Crimestoppers is an independent charity which helps the police to solve crimes, making communities safer. It does this by operating the 24/7 telephone number 0800 555 111 which people can ring to pass on information about crimes anonymously. They can also use our ‘giving information' form via our website www.crimestoppers-uk.org which can also be accessed by internet-enabled mobile phones.
• Around 22 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in almost 118,000 arrests and charges. Over £124 million worth of goods has been recovered and over £271 million worth of drugs has been seized.
• In 2005, Crimestoppers launched the UK's Most Wanted on its website which allows the public to view images of criminals and pass on vital information about their whereabouts. It has been highly successful with over 1,700 arrests to date.
• Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Chairman of Trustees. In 1988, he launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers' ‘call to action' is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media.