Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) are pleased to announce their renewed commitment to fighting crime against retailers, after extending their partnership this week.

The two organisations have been working together since 2010 and have worked on a number of projects together, primarily on trying to support law enforcement with appeals for information on incidents that have occurred against convenience store staff.

In March 2011, Crimestoppers and ACS offered a reward of up to £50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting of a child and a 35-year-old man at a store in Stockwell, London.

In April 2012, three men were sentenced for this offence.

In July 2012, the two organisations teamed up once again to offer a reward of up to £50,000 for information on the murder of shopkeeper, Javaid Ali, in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

Crimestoppers and ACS are determined to work together and prevent further incidents, such as the above, occurring again. The renewal of this partnership is another stepping stone in trying to achieve this.

Crimestoppers Head of Development, Anamari Bishopp, said: “This is yet another example of an organisation making a commitment to fighting crime directly affecting the industry it works in, and we are pleased to be supporting this fight.

“The Association of Convenience Stores is an important partner for Crimestoppers in tackling incidents against retailers and we look forward to working with them going forward to try and stamp out this crime.”

James Lowman, ACS Chief Executive, said: “Thankfully violence against retailers remains extremely rare, but when these incidents happen it is important that the industry stands together and does what it can to help. We hope that we will not need to offer any rewards in 2013, but we remain committed to doing so if necessary. We look forward to developing our partnership with Crimestoppers in 2013.”

Anyone with any information on incidents of crime can contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through a secure online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

ENDS

For more information please contact Crimestoppers UK Media Officer Kieran Theivam on 0208 835 3727 or email kieran.theivam@crimestoppers-uk.org.

Notes to Editors

• Crimestoppers UK 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 is also accessible via internet-enabled mobile phones.

• Around 22 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers UK.   

• Since Crimestoppers UK began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 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 UK 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, PC, Chairman of Trustees, who in 1988 launched Crimestoppers UK 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.