Hacks on computer systems in businesses, universities and public services have shown the world the serious impact that cyber-crime can have. Cyber-crime isn’t just a problem for big companies; it’s important that we all take steps to reduce our risk when we use online services at home, when travelling, and at work.

Most of us will have robust security in our homes: 82% of households have double locks or deadlocks on their doors and 89% have window locks[1], and yet, when it comes to online security, only 52% regularly download the latest software or app updates as soon as they are available, which can help keep your devices secure.[2]

One of the consequences of cyber-crime that is hard to ignore is the cost. Action Fraud estimates that around £11 billion was lost to the UK economy as a result of fraud and cyber-crime in 2015/16; this works out at approximately £210 per person in the UK.[3] Other figures from the Crime Survey of England and Wales revealed the extent of cyber-crime: there were approximately two...

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Crimestoppers volunteer Charlotte Wilson loves her festivals, and put together this guide to staying safe for us.

We’re all looking forward to summer, with brighter mornings, longer evenings and hopefully some sun! The keen festival goers among us, including myself, will be planning our summer weekends away to see our favourite bands and acts. But it is also important to make sure we take precautions to prevent ourselves from becoming victims of crime at these festivals.

Here are five tips to help you stay safe this summer:

1. Leave valuables at home

Instead of taking an expensive camera, take a cheap disposable one, as it will be less attractive to a thief and won’t be too much of a loss if you lose it.

Consider taking an old phone or a cheap Pay-As-You-Go as for similar reasons – it will be less likely to get stolen and won’t cost much if you lose it. It’s also sensible to use secure lockers if they’re available, to keep safe any valuables you do have to take. If lockers aren’t available, make sure you...

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When people head to the polls to cast their vote on 8 June, they should feel able to vote freely and be confident that their vote is secure.

Voters should also feel safe to report any concerns if they feel that things are not right. This is why police forces across the UK fully support the ‘don’t stand for electoral fraud’ campaign that Crimestoppers are running jointly with the Electoral Commission, enabling people to report this type of crime anonymously.

Police forces across the UK are responsible for investigating allegations of electoral fraud and take them very seriously. In each police force there is a dedicated Single Point of Contact Officer (or SPOC) for electoral fraud who provides specialist support and advice to investigators.

As seen in recent cases that have gone to trial, the courts also treat electoral fraud as a serious offence and have handed down significant sentences in order to act as a deterrent to others. But these cases couldn’t have been brought without information provided to police officers to help...

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National Volunteers Week is an opportunity for us to say thank you to the 400 volunteers we have dedicating their time to Crimestoppers, no matter how big or small their role might be.

But it is also an opportunity to provide some insight into how our volunteers work, what their impact on the charity is, and why they are so important in being that link between our staff and local communities.

Who better to provide that insight, than our Volunteers Manager, Greg Rees. Greg has been involved for over 20 years in the voluntary sector, working in supported social housing and for substance abuse agencies in South Wales, Bristol and the West Country. He’s passionate about the value that volunteers and volunteering brings to any organisation. Greg’s relaxation includes riding his motorbike around the twisted roads and beautiful mountains of Wales.

Greg Rees (middle), with the rest of the Crimestoppers...

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Volunteering at Crimestoppers is an experience unlike volunteering at any other charity. Recently, the roles that you can do as a Crimestoppers volunteer have diversified. While we still have important roles for volunteers in local committees, volunteers are also involved in developing awareness and crime prevention projects. There were too many projects to list them all here but, for inspiration, we’ve picked out 3 projects supported and/or carried out by our student volunteers in 2016/2017:

‘Making a change in the community ‘with ‘Project Shadow’ in Birmingham

Volunteers Nosheen and Nelam studied Criminology at university. Nosheen started volunteering for Crimestoppers during her gap year and Nelam joined Crimestoppers as a volunteer while studying for her MA in International Relations. As part of Project Shadow, they focused on honour-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriages.

Nosheen says: “Working on Project Shadow has opened up new views and helped me realise...

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Hate crimes have a devastating effect on victims, who often feel unable to speak out about what has happened to them. It can take a wide variety of forms, from verbal and physical abuse to discrimination in the workplace.

Historically, these communities have felt unable to come forward due to the stigma in society and the lack of support or empathy from those in authority. However, in the United Kingdom, things have changed. It is now illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of sexual or gender identity, and it’s a crime if someone is deliberately targeted because of their sexuality or gender.

Hate Crime generally can be defined as any illegal act that any person recognises to be motivated by hostility or prejudices towards a feature of an individual’s identity.

Homophobic, biphobic and transphobic Hate Crimes are personally motivated by prejudice towards lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals. Whilst the impact can be devastating to the victim, the scars are not always visible from the outside.

Sheffield mum Carol Speight is aiming to celebrate turning 40 years old by running Sunday’s London Marathon for the first time. We asked her some quick questions about why she’s choosing the Marathon as her challenge – and why Crimestoppers…

Carol rarely stops fundraising!

Q. So, why the London Marathon?

I’ve lost four stone in recent years, purely from running and eating more healthily.

It’s a long way from my previous life, so I’m well outside my comfort zone!

Q. And why Crimestoppers as your fundraising cause?

I’ve known many people who have been victims of crime – been burgled or had personal possessions stolen, so helping to raise funds for Crimestoppers seemed perfect to me.

Q. How have your colleagues reacted to you taking on the Marathon?

Staff at Matalan, where I work, probably think that I run around far too much! But it’s worth it!

Carol out training for the big day on Sunday

Q. What’s been your main motivation through all the hard training?

I’ve just...

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32-year-old David Smith from Poole works for Barclays Bank, and also volunteers as a Special Constable with the police. He’s managed to shed a remarkable seven stone in recent years, and has chosen to run this Sunday’s London Marathon, fundraising for Crimestoppers. Here he answers a couple of quick questions for us…

Dave in his Crimestoppers running vest

Q. What made you decide to take on the famously gruelling London Marathon?

It was three years ago that I found I couldn’t buy clothes in the high street, and I used to get tired out just from walking around.

I thought ‘enough is enough’.

Q. How do your friends and relatives feel about your challenge?

Family and friends have been very supportive, especially with preparing for the big day in London. Some think I’m being a bit crazy and are quite shocked, but it’s worth it.

I’m grateful for their support whilst fundraising – and would also like to thank Barclays for matching my fundraising effort pound-for-pound.

Dave as he used to be

Q....

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Kayal in her Crimestoppers running vest

Every year around 40 people run the Virgin Money London Marathon for Crimestoppers. Dedicating much of the winter to training, our runners make huge sacrifices to prepare themselves for the big day. We spoke to first-time London Marathon runner Kayal Velaigam to understand why she chose to run for Crimestoppers, and her feelings around the race itself.

Q. Have you taken part in many races before?

Yes, I’ve run a few – mostly recently I completed the Vitality North London Half Marathon on 12 March. I dance regularly, which helps to keep me healthy and in good shape.

Q. How do you feel about the challenge?

I have mixed feelings at the moment about the big day, ranging from huge excitement to full blown nerves. I think it’ll be incredible to be part of the world’s largest fundraising challenge and to be able to raise funds for such a great cause.

Q. Why did you decide to run the Marathon...

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Monika Durova is in her final year of a degree in Criminology and Criminal Psychology. As part of her final year, she successfully secured a work placement at Crimestoppers.

Find out about her experiences and what she felt she gained during her time spent at Crimestoppers.

As part of my final year at the University of Greenwich on the BSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology course, I successfully secured a place on a university accredited placement at Crimestoppers. My expectations from the placement were mainly to get involved in crime control activities such as working on the Most Wanted project. However, throughout the course of my placement I worked within different departments and teams such as Digital, Research, Media, and the Call Bureau, where the people who deal with the incoming calls work.

I was most involved in the Fearless team, the youth brand of Crimestoppers. Being engaged with the youth team made me realise that sometimes, in particular when working with young people, prevention and early intervention are much...

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