Crimestoppers ring up year of success

Members of the public have helped police to make 557 arrests in Greater Manchester by using Crimestoppers.

A record 5,622 people contacted the Crimestoppers charity with information about crime in their area in the 12 months to April — an increase of 37 per cent on the previous year.

Nationally, the charity has achieved a 1 per cent increase in actionable information and a 10 per cent increase in the number of people arrested and charged as a result of information passed to Crimestoppers.

Throughout the year the charity has run many high-profile campaigns in Greater Manchester targeting burglary, bank robberies, raids on betting shops, counterfeit goods, illegal tobacco and drugs cultivation, which have led to arrests.

Around 23 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers.

Since the charity began in 1988 it has received over 1.2 million calls, resulting in over 107,000 arrests and charges.

Goods worth more than £115 million have been recovered and over £210 million worth of drugs has been seized.

Edith Conn, chairman of Greater Manchester Crimestoppers, said: “A huge thank you must go to the people throughout Greater Manchester for using the charity to pass on information about crime.

“We’re extremely proud that Crimestoppers continues to play such a vital role in helping to make our local community a safer place to live.

“I must pay tribute to the great work of Greater Manchester Police in how they have dealt with the information that we have passed to them which has led to this significant increase in arrests.

“The value of this information is clearly seen by the number of arrests that has resulted.

“I’d like to reassure the public that our service is completely anonymous and in the 23 years that the charity’s been running no one has ever been identified.

“The service is run for you, the public, to help make your community a safer place to live.

“We are not part of the police or government, we are an independent charity, so by contacting us you’ll never have to give a statement to the police or go to court.”