There are thousands of great charities working day and night, all doing their best to respond to the needs of others. So having a day to pause momentarily and mark the crucial role of our charity in helping improve the lives of others is something we feel is really important.

This is only the fourth such UN-sponsored day, and this year they’re asking us to focus on poverty that persists, not just in developing countries, but also in wealthier nations.

Offering hopes to millions

Unfortunately, crime can affect all communities, and yet it has a disproportionate impact on poorer areas, including here in the UK. This is where Crimestoppers can play a key role. 

Our service is open to everyone. We guarantee that whoever you are and wherever you live, you will remain 100% anonymous when you tell us what you know about crime in your community.

Our service is open to all regardless of their circumstances.

We offer hope especially to the millions of people who – for whatever reason – are reluctant...

Continues, Read More...

Europe’s biggest street party, Notting Hill Carnival returns this weekend. It’s one of the most anticipated events of the summer where you can expect to see steel bands, flamboyant costumes and experience great food and entertainment. Taking place on August 26,27 & 28, most of the festival’s two million plus revellers will have a safe and enjoyable visit to London. Make sure your carnival experience is as positive as it can be with our 7 safety tips:

Night tube? Taxi? Bus? Plan your route home before you set off

Lots of people will be travelling to and from London during the two days of Carnival. Public transport may be busier than normal. Don’t be tempted to take an unlicensed taxi or to walk an unfamiliar route. Check the TFL website (or @TFLTrafficNews on Twitter for road updates) before you travel and plan your journey in advance.

Those landmarks can come in handy! Set a meeting point

With all that dancing and jumping about you might lose family or friends in the crowd. Agree a meeting point before the...

Continues, Read More...

Nina volunteers for Crimestoppers in our central office and also volunteers regularly with her local magistrates’ court. Here she talks to us about her interest in crime prevention.

I’ve been volunteering at Crimestoppers for a few months now to get an insight into how the British justice system works, but the idea of becoming a criminologist has captivated me since I was 16. I think it runs in the family: one of my grandparents used to be chief of Skopje police station in Macedonia! When I lived in Bulgaria I heard about corruption every day. Motivated to make a difference in society, I started preparing myself for a career in crime prevention when I was at school

People who work to solve crimes have to be curious and comfortable with uncertainties

I began to take additional classes in maths and psychology to improve my critical thinking and deductive reasoning. Ethics, law and sociology classes have served as a good introduction to criminology. Every year my school (together with the police crime department) organised a...

Continues, Read More...

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...

Continues, Read More...

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...

Continues, Read More...

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...

Continues, Read More...

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...

Continues, Read More...

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...

Continues, Read More...

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...

Continues, Read More...