Crime hotline at an all time high for Northern Ireland

At a special event today in Belfast, the crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers, will highlight its role in helping clear up crime rates in Northern Ireland and announce the composition of its new committee. [5 October 2009]

Crimestoppers, which operates the anonymous crime hotline, is celebrating the fact that more people than ever here are now using the 0800 555 111 service to pass on information about crimes in Northern Ireland.

Information to the hotline has helped solve a range of crimes affecting the community from high profile murder investigations through to putting a stop to arson attacks. Crimestoppers has also led successful anti-drugs campaigns in Newtownabbey and Newry.

The national charity has been successfully fighting crime for 21 years and the service has been operating in Northern Ireland for ten years. It is not, as many people think, linked to the police. It is a charity which provides a number for people to call when passing on information about crime.

Crimestoppers' anonymity promise, which has never been broken, means that no personal details are taken from the caller, no calls are traced or recorded and people are not required to give evidence in court. Only the information about the crimes is passed onto the relevant authorities. Speaking at today's event, Security and Justice Minister Paul Goggins MP said: “Crimestoppers is an invaluable tool in helping us to tackle crime. The charity has operated in Northern Ireland for ten years and the number of calls to the anonymous hotline continues to rise. In the last year alone, calls to Crimestoppers have resulted in drug seizures, recovered stolen property and prevented arson attacks.

"Crimestoppers empowers local communities to help reduce crime in their area and my message today is simple – Crimestoppers works. Crimestoppers is anonymous and Crimestoppers is only interested in what you know – not who you are. I would therefore urge people to make a real difference to their community by reporting crime to either the Police Service or Crimestoppers.”

Susan Brew, Regional Manager for Crimestoppers in Northern Ireland, says the charity is hugely encouraged at the extent to which people are now ringing in. “For years we have been seeing a significant level of calls to Crimestoppers and what we are simply underscoring is that Crimestoppers works.”

Recently Crimestoppers has partnered with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in a major advertising campaign targeting illegal fuel laundering. Calls about this crime have also been very encouraging. “Even one quality call can make a huge difference,” Brew added.

For more information contact Susan Brew, Crimestoppers Regional Manager, susan.brew@crimestoppers-uk.org, tel: 07917 793678

Notes to editors

• Around 19 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers. One person every four days is charged with murder.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 91,000 arrests and charges. Over £167 million worth of property has been recovered and over £160 million worth of drugs.
• In 2006, 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 500 arrests to date from 2.5 thousand appeals posted.
• 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.
• In September 2007, Crimestoppers launched a youth website www.shadowcs.co.uk which allows young people to give information anonymously online.