Connect - Winter 2015 by Crimestoppers Trust

ISSUE 15 WINTER 2015

CRIMESTOPPERS’ NEW

NEW YEAR’S

EVOLUTION Our new FIVE-YEAR strategy! + Fearless Stories, Inside the Call Bureau, Child Sexual Exploitation, Tackling Fraud and lots more.

FO GOING

! D L O G

WE T HOW DS U O B A READ AWAR G D SIX E IN P O ERTIS SCO R ADV U O . R S FO AIGN CAMP

crimestoppers

crimestoppersUK

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

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CONNECT

Welcome to the Winter 2015 edition of Connect. The need for Crimestoppers has never been stronger than it is today. Whether it’s providing that critical link for individuals to pass on information safely, securely and, above all else, anonymously to the police, or helping communities to protect themselves from the latest threats by providing the right education and awareness advice, Crimestoppers is certainly Most Wanted. However, it’s always good to challenge ourselves and really look at what we are here to achieve and how we should best go about it. To that end, we’ve developed a new five-year strategy that looks to keep Crimestoppers fresh and relevant and very much at the forefront of the fight against crime. We have four key ambitions: Anonymity removes fear and breaks down barriers. Our service should be the best we can make it. Engagement is a focus on the needs of the communities. We want to gain their confidence. Education highlights criminal activity so we can all avoid becoming victims of crime.

Analysis is dedication to insight and learning. We can use this to do more to stop crime. Look out for these icons throughout Connect to see where we’re already starting to work towards our goals. It’s not just about the Strategy though. I commend Voices from the Bureau where we get to see first-hand what life is like in the operational centre of the Charity. I’m also proud that Crimestoppers is getting involved at the forefront of the campaign against Child Sexual Exploitation. There’s so much more in this feature-packed magazine that I can’t do justice to in this short piece, so please take the opportunity to read on… Mark Hallas CBE, CEO Crimestoppers.

Child Sexual Exploitation

Bully victim proves she’s Fearless

Turn to the back page to see how our strategic ambitions help us realise our vision.

Published by: Crimestoppers Trust PO Box 324 Wallington SM6 6BG Editor - Hannah Mouland Design - Mike Fraser www.iconcur.co

Voices from the bureau

Fundraising: The Zombie Run

Crimestoppers is a registered Charity and a company limited by guarantee.

The next issue of Connect will be published in August 2015.

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CONNECT | ISSUE 15

nationalnews

Awards Success: crimestoppers strikes gold! A raft of recent awards and nominations confirm the high quality of Crimestoppers’ campaigns, proving what we always say, that we really do ‘punch well above our weight’. Continually working under time pressures with tight budget constraints and high partner expectations always presents a tough challenge, but these awards prove just how well we are able to rise to the occasion.

SUCCESS Our #Putpockets campaign, a joint initiative with agency

Above: One of the PutPocket printed leaflets.

Ogilvy One, has proved a roaring success – achieving two golds, a silver and a bronze at the prestigious Direct Marketing Association Awards (DMAS) night in December last year. The campaign picked up gold at the Creative Circle Awards and a silver at the Campaign Magazine Big Awards. Our work with the Post Office has also been recognised by the Public Affairs Awards, who short-listed our ‘On Their Tail’ campaign in their category

for Corporate Campaign of the Year.

TWEETATHON We were short-listed in the UK Social Media awards in the Best Use of Twitter Category for our #CS247 Tweetathon. Our Rural Crime Campaign was also given the Highly Commended prize at the NFU Mutual County Crimefighters Awards. With many more organisations putting us on their shortlists, it is great to obtain such recognition for the important work that we do.

#BEACRIMESTOPPER Crimestoppers pulled out all the stops to support the first ever UK Giving Tuesday

The event, on 2 December 2014, was dedicated to giving back – whether it’s donating, volunteering or raising awareness of different causes. It was started in 2012 as a response to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – two of the busiest shopping days in the run up to Christmas. And 2014 saw the launch in the UK – with hundreds of charities taking part. Crimestoppers supported with plenty of activity in a bid to boost donations, as well as our volunteer numbers and social media followers. Our message was ‘Be a Crimestopper’. A week before the event, staff dressed as

Crimestopper’s staff dressed up as famous crime fighters including Spiderman, Catwoman, Superman and FBI Special Agent Dana Scully.

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

famous crime fighters – from Superman and Wonder Woman to Sherlock Holmes and X Files FBI Special Agent Dana Scully. The fun was shared through Facebook and Twitter to help raise awareness ahead of 2 December 2014. On the actual day, the Crimestoppers communications team as well as our regional teams were busy posting on Twitter, using the hashtag #BeACrimestopper. The aim was to show the public how much the Charity has achieved and educate them about the ways they can help tackle crime. It was also an opportunity to showcase the fantastic work of our volunteers and get more people involved with volunteering. A series of blogs about first-hand experiences from volunteers were also published on our national

Mighty Mouse and Spiderman.

blog, giving people the opportunity to find out what it’s like to work with the Charity. An interactive map, created by Esri UK, showed where all our supporters were based in the UK. We asked everyone to tell us where they were tweeting from and plotted these locations on the map. It was a great way of showing the public how they are helping us.

Giving Tuesday was a great opportunity for Crimestoppers to raise its profile as a Charity. Lucy Williams, Senior Events Officer for Crimestoppers.

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nationalnews

Second ‘Scratch and Sniff’ Campaign Launched

Following on from last year’s successful campaign, Crimestoppers relaunched its ‘Scratch and Sniff’ cannabis campaign targeting 17 hotspots across the country as identified by police intelligence. Rolled out at the end of June, the cards intended to help members of the public identify what cannabis smells like when it’s growing on a mass scale. Cannabis growing by criminal gangs can harm individuals and their neighbourhoods. When criminal gangs grow cannabis they often rent residential properties such as flats or suburban houses and may bring serious crime into communities, including gun crime, power theft and human trafficking.

HUGE INCREASE This year’s campaign was again hugely successful, with information passed to Crimestoppers on cannabis cultivation increasing by 20 per cent in the first month alone. Areas such as Cumbria and Dyfed-Powys saw a 100 per cent increase in information, Merseyside had a 66 per cent increase, Nottinghamshire 61 per cent and Hampshire & Isle of Wight 60 per cent. The overall quality of information also improved, leading to the disruption of a number of organised criminal gang networks.

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Crimestoppers’ National Conference

Crimestoppers vowed to break down the barriers that exist in hard to reach communities at a national conference in York. The event, attended by police forces from across the country as well as volunteers and partners, was held to recognise our achievements and outline our plans to tackle crime in the future. One of our key messages was targeting hard to reach areas. This was fully supported by one of our key speakers Justine Curran, Chief Constable for Humberside Police, who encouraged those at the conference to ‘go make a difference’.

INTEGRAL COG Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside, Matthew Grove, added that the work of Crimestoppers was ‘integral’ in his area and encouraged the public to do the right thing by reporting crime. Other speakers on the day included Stephen Bell, from the College of Policing, as well as rural crime author Mike Pannett and the Gangmasters’ Licensing Authority Chief Executive, Paul Broadbent. The Charity Women’s Aid also attended to talk about domestic violence and the isolation victims feel when they are abused by a partner. Roger Critchell, Director of Operations for Crimestoppers, said: “We are determined to break down the barriers that exist in hard to reach communities and tackle the crimes that affect people across the UK. Using our anonymous service, we know we have the mechanism to protect the identity of those that contact us, we just need them to pick up the phone or log onto our website.”

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feature

THE CRIMESTOPPERS CALL BUREAU: THEN AND NOW

You have to take your hat off to anybody who can carry out such an in-depth phone interview without a script. There are no second chances. They must get it all in one ‘take’ knowing they do not have a clue who the caller is. The Crimestoppers Bureau is the heart of the organisation. All the information passed anonymously through our 0800 555 111 phone line and anonymous online forms is filtered through here. Encouragingly, over 1000 people make contact with us every day. It’s due to the high quality service we provide and our absolute promise of anonymity, which has never been broken. Ian Froggett was instrumental in setting the bureau up in 2005, which meant that Crimestoppers took full control of every call made to our 0800 number. He says… “I was a Detective Sergeant with West Yorkshire Police when I first became involved with Crimestoppers in 2001. At that time, the Charity’s national call bureau did not exist and every police force had a dedicated team who took information through the Crimestoppers phone line. I was determined that every caller who took the trouble to ring the Crimestoppers number should be questioned to get as much information as possible so that law enforcement would have a far better chance of taking positive action. This was supported by some early ‘dip-sampling’ to see what motivated the caller to ring Crimestoppers. If we asked if they wanted a reward, most callers were shocked and said that their only motive was to see a bad person dealt with and for crimes to be detected. It followed that they wanted to give as much information as possible to help the police to take positive action, but without being asked the

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

Ian Froggett who spent 13 years at The Bureau.

questions, they didn’t know how much information was needed. At West Yorkshire Police we had a very high standard when it came to taking Crimestoppers calls but we found that other units were falling short. Information was often minimal and it couldn’t be moved forward by the police.

EVOLUTION This prompted the Charity to take control of all their calls in 2005, setting up the national bureau which was staffed by highly trained interviewers, committed to protecting the anonymity of all who contacted the Charity. It was a huge leap forward for Crimestoppers and police investigators. In 2007 I retired from the police and came on board with the Charity as a training and development manager. I worked for seven years alongside call agents,

creating training packages. As any police officer would know, interviewing is not an easy task – especially for the Crimestoppers call handlers. They have one chance to get everything from a caller and that single bit of information that may lead to the arrest of a murder suspect, arsonist, drug dealer or fraudster. You have to take your hat off to anybody who can carry out such an in-depth phone interview without a script. There are no second chances. They must get it all in one ‘take’ knowing they do not have a clue who the caller is. With this in mind, we implemented spider charts, which help the interviewer to make notes of an interview, give real leads as to what information is missing, support further lines of questioning and ensure that notes may be written up accurately. We also introduced cognitive interviewing, which takes the caller back to a specific incident they may have viewed and allows them the space to recount as much information as possible. This year I left Crimestoppers after 13 years, but Louise Peers, Head of Contact Centre Services, has taken over from me in developing interview training and hiring the right people for the job. Crimestoppers continue to focus on getting high quality information every time and ensuring that no caller will ever have their identity exposed unless they voluntarily make themselves known to the public in order to raise awareness”. To hear some of our call handlers’ experiences turn to pages 10 and 11.

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Child Sexual Exploitation

The more you know, the more you see.

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) has really been pushed into the spotlight in recent years with an increase in publicity and media interest in cases across the United Kingdom. Crimestoppers has always taken information on the offence, but we felt we could do more to raise awareness and help stamp it out. We have been working with a number of police forces to educate communities across the UK about the threat of CSE. We want people to be aware of the signs of CSE and where they can go for help if they think it’s happening to someone they know.

Gail Mettyear, High Sheriff for East Riding, Yorkshire.

Justine Curran, Chief Constable of Humberside Police.

Grimsby event.

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Campaigns How Crimestoppers helps to raise awareness One of the most successful campaigns to date was carried out by Humberside Crimestoppers in November last year. It was their biggest ever campaign to raise awareness of CSE. More than 700 people attended three days of events in Grimsby and Scunthorpe, Goole, Hull and Bridlington. They were so popular that all were oversubscribed, leaving standing room only in some venues. The aim was to raise awareness, and educate attendees about the signs of child sexual exploitation. The events provided a means to encourage members of the community to report any suspicious activity to police or Crimestoppers. It was also an opportunity to reach out to victims, both past and present, to assure them that they would not be ignored and those responsible would not get away with the crime. Presentations were given from

representatives of Crimestoppers as well as the local councils, police and charity Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation (PACE). Key speakers included Gail Stafford Mettyear, High Sheriff of East Riding, Yorks, Justine Curran, Chief Constable of Humberside Police, Crimestoppers CEO Mark Hallas, and Matthew Grove, Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner.

Frank Duffield, Humberside Crimestoppers Volunteer Chair, said: “We don’t want children to live in fear of being abused. “We want to ensure that people know what to look out for and who to go to in order to prevent this abuse from happening. We want those who are committing these life-shattering offences brought to justice.”

It takes a village to raise a child and it most certainly takes a strong community to protect our children Matthew Grove, Humberside PCC, called for the community to come together.

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Real Life Emma’s story of how she was exploited Emma Jackson, from Rotherham, showed her support for the campaign by attending our CSE events in Hull and Bridlington on November 10. Emma (not her real name) was groomed for sex from the age of 12. She was brutally raped at the age of 13 and, by 15 she had been sexually assaulted by 54 other men. Here the 25-year-old tells her harrowing story. “It began by me going to my local shopping centre and hanging around in the children’s arcade, which was quite a normal place for children to go on the weekend. I started talking to some young boys, we built a friendship and I’d see

WARNING SIGNS? Although there is no typical victim of child sexual exploitation, there are warning signs in a child’s behaviour which could indicate that they are at risk or already being sexually exploited: MISSING from home or care ABSENCE from school INCREASED/SECRETIVE use of mobile phone or internet NEW ‘FRIENDS’, some of whom are significantly older CHANGE of appearance RECEIVING unexplained gifts or money PHYSICAL INJURIES DRUG OR ALCOHOL misuse INVOLVEMENT in offending REPEAT sexually-transmitted infections, pregnancy and terminations SELF-HARM and/or thoughts of or attempts at suicide

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

them every weekend. This went on for a few months and then they started to introduce older people to me – eventually they were adult males in their 20s and 30s. I started to see the adult males every day in the town centre after Emma was groomed for sex from the age of 12 (picture posed by a model) school and I’d spend all my weekends with them. I was just 12. I was taken to flats and locked in the By the time I turned 13, I was bedroom and man after man came in. hanging around with adult males When they had finished they and the younger boys I had originally eventually took me home. met had drifted off the scene. I was also using soft drugs and It was when I was introduced to the alcohol. That was part of the older males that my exploitation then grooming technique with me. It started. meant I built up a debt with them A friend of mine who went to my and in order to pay the debt off I school and who lived down the road would have to sleep with a number was involved with the same males as of men on different occasions. me. She was exploited too. But before I did sleep with them We would see each other being they would ply me with more alcohol exploited. But it was always seen as and drugs. It made it easier to ‘that’s just how things were’. manipulate and control me. We never identified ourselves as These people were dangerous. victims of CSE because we didn’t They were very violent. They knew know what it was. We had been everything about me because through groomed for so long that it just the grooming process I had told them seemed the norm. everything about myself and my We assumed that this was what family. relationships and friendships were like, So I was in a situation where I had this was part of growing up. nowhere to run, I had nowhere to turn When it began I was raped quite and I didn’t know how to get out of it. brutally and This doesn’t pinned down just affect We never identified ourselves and raped in young as victims of CSE because we front of a people from number of care, it affects didn’t know what it was. We had other men. anybody. It’s been groomed for so long that it Up until about being in just seemed the norm. this point I the wrong place had never had at the wrong a boyfriend or anything like that time and being spotted by the wrong because I was still very much a child people. and very much childlike. There are now investigations looking From then, cars used to pull up and at historic cases - looking at I would be told I needed to get in that perpetrators from the past and also car. I would have to have sex with the present to try and get these whoever was in the car and perform people behind bars and get these different sexual acts. people off our streets. If different men in the group wanted There is a lot of it still going on. to have sex with me they would just I am quite angry at that, not really for have sex with me. It was just seen as myself but because we don’t know that was how it was, that was my how safe kids are if these people are purpose and that was what I was still out on our streets and have been there for. for years”.

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fearless

There is a fear among young people of being labelled a ‘snitch’ but Fearless gives them the opportunity to report crime anonymously.

Chelsea Ryder presenting her Fearless message.

Having the last laugh on school bullies How Chelsea Ryder turned a negative into a positive Chelsea’s Viewpoint My bad experience at school really made me want to help others my age.

Young volunteer Chelsea Ryder endured taunts from fellow pupils at middle school and was even punched unconscious by an older boy. But instead of letting the incident upset her, the 17-yearold, from Leek, Staffordshire, decided to take positive steps to help others. After later starting sixth form at Leek High School, she helped to roll out Fearless for fellow students. She said: “Crime is reducing in Staffordshire and we can help more by empowering young people to stand up against issues like cyber bullying and even drug and knife crime. “My experiences at school really made me want to help others my age. “A lot of students don’t want to discuss their issues because they’re afraid or confused. “Fearless is a service they can go to if they want to report problems anonymously and that’s great.”

Chelsea began by making a presentation about Fearless to all the teachers in the school. She said: “It was very nerve-racking to stand up in front of a hall full of people who teach me and try and teach them something instead.” To get students talking, Chelsea then produced hundreds of posters emblazoned with the word ‘Fearless’, which were pinned up in classrooms and hallways. She even managed to get the IT technicians to make the word ‘Fearless’ a part of the desktop background on all the school’s computers. She said: “Sure enough, students began asking what Fearless was and I let them wonder what it was for about three weeks before doing a big reveal in a school assembly for years nine and ten. “I did a 20-minute presentation and I was so nervous that my voice shook, but all my teachers

It’s still in the early stages, but I think we can really make a difference in Leek

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were really supportive. “I got a really good reaction from the students who said that Fearless was a great idea and it was definitely something that would help them through high school. “Everyone was really supportive of what I was doing. A lot of my friends helped me put up posters and I knew that they would help me with anything. “Some people in my year group were even inspired to become student mentors after my presentation.” Chelsea is now studying for her A Levels and planning to go on to university to do a course in Childhood and Youth studies. But she is still involved with Fearless and is now planning to start up school activities to continue to raise awareness. She said: “There are endless opportunities to promote Fearless and I know that when I eventually leave the school there will be others who will carry it on.” She added: “It’s still in the early stages but I think we can really make a difference in Leek.”

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Fearless in Sheffield Young volunteers Tameka Miller, 17, and Courtney Castledine, 17, tell us how they’re spreading the Fearless message in their home town. L to R - Hayden Webb, Cherish Johnson, Peter Holland from Derbyshire Crimestoppers, Jonathan Leach Stepladder director, Jane Wilton Stepladder producer, Kayleigh Gelsthorpe.

Making a dramatic impact A not-for-profit drama company is using inventive ways to promote Fearless in Derbyshire. Commissioned by Derbyshire Crimestoppers and funded by the PCC, Stepladder has created engaging performances which educate young people about crimes they may face and explain how Fearless can help. One, called ‘One Can’t Hurt, Can It?’, deals with the issue of drugs as well as broader issues like trust and status, doing the right thing and seeking help. To date, the company has performed for 1300 young people at schools, colleges, and skills fairs. Members of Stepladder also created a street dance routine at an arts festival specifically for Fearless. Jonathan Leach, Stepladder Director, said: “The main drive of Stepladder is to have a positive impact on young people’s lives. In essence, we want to make sure that, through our drama, young people feel supported from a practical perspective, especially pointing them in the direction of sources of support.” Gordon Savage, who leads on Derbyshire’s Fearless activity, added: “We really wanted to get the message of Fearless across in a memorable but cost-effective way. Stepladder has involved us every step of the way, making sure that the important messages aren’t diluted”

Members of Stepladder are a combination of seasoned actors and drama students. Cherish Johnson, 17, a Performing Arts student, said: “Our play tackles the issue of making the wrong choices about drugs and highlights the choices and dilemmas that young people can face. The performances are very interactive with lots of audience participation. “The overriding message is that there is always someone and somewhere to turn for help. “Every school that we visit is different and we need to respond and interact in different ways, which is a brilliant experience for me as I love the fact that I am helping to make a real difference.” In addition to the drugs workshops, Stepladder has developed four other interactive performances around cyber crime, domestic abuse, healthy relationships and the issues around alcohol. They’ve been fully supported by Derby City Council as well as Derbyshire County Councils, and they’ve also proved a huge success with students and teachers alike. To find out more about the Stepladder performances, email stepladderdrama@gmail.com

What interested you about Fearless? Tameka: I had previously worked with an Ending Gang and Youth Violence group so I had an interest in preventing crime and tackling gang-related issues. I love the idea that Fearless is a service dedicated to young people, which allows them to safely and anonymously report crime. Courtney: I live in a pretty rough area where a lot of crimes happen and I wanted to raise awareness about it. I saw Fearless as a way of getting more young people to report crime. What issues have you covered? Have you ever been affected by these issues yourself? Tameka: I have talked about gang-related crime, vehicle crime, anti-social behaviour and violence. I have never been affected by any personally, but I have learnt so much about the different crimes from the presentations we have delivered and the materials we give out. Courtney: I have given presentations on arson, knife crime, criminal damage, assault and gun crime. Although I’ve never personally been affected, I’ve witnessed it in my area. What kind of reaction have you had from the young people you meet? Tameka: On the whole, we get a really positive reaction from them, but there are still kids who don’t agree with reporting crime – they say ‘snitches get stitches’. Hopefully we can slowly change these attitudes. Courtney: I have always had positive feedback, which is a really great thing. What positive changes have you been able to make? Tameka: In one of the sessions delivered I really saw a change in the perceptions the young people had about the police and crimes. Courtney: At the start of our sessions, young people are generally against reporting crimes. But we’ve managed to change their minds. It’s great to be part of that.

Fearless volunteers Courtney and Tameka.

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

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Voices from The Bureau 45 staff. 24 hours a day. 365 days a year. It’s tough but rewarding The Crimestoppers Bureau has a team of 45 staff who keep the facility open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our dedicated call handlers take information on a variety of crimes – from drug cultivation and robberies to bomb threats. It’s not an easy job but it can be extremely rewarding. Here, some of our call handlers share their stories… Naomi Deverill worked with a debt-collecting company before starting at Crimestoppers as a call handler five years ago. She currently deals with information that comes

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through the Integrity Line, Crimestoppers’ dedicated ‘whistle-blowing’ service specifically aimed at organisations in the UK and abroad. She said: “I had been a call handler in my previous job with a debt collecting-firm – it had meant being quite pushy and forceful on the phone. Working at the Crimestoppers Bureau is completely different. It’s about being calm, friendly and open with callers, and this is more me. “I speak to a huge variety of people every day with information about all sorts

Our view Working at the Crimestoppers Bureau is different. It’s about being calm, friendly and open with callers, and this is much more me. Naomi Deverill Crimestoppers Call handler

of issues. It can be really eye opening. “It’s important to be empathetic and really appreciate what the caller is going through. “Despite our promise of anonymity, people still worry that they are being recorded or tracked so we need to build trust with them. This is vital because if we are successful in doing this they may ring back in the future with more useful information”. She added: “I really enjoy the job because I know we are making a difference. One call I took about suspected cannabis cultivation led to a huge drugs haul. I’m pleased that I helped with that.”

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feature

The Crimestoppers Bureau.

One of the first calls I took led to the arrest of a prolific drink driver. I’ve also taken information which stopped a planned prison break. Jo Black, a former nurse, has been working at the bureau for seven years. She began as a call handler before becoming a bureau shift leader. She said: “As a former nurse I’ve got a good background working with people, I can talk to anybody about anything. This really helped when I started working at the bureau as a call handler. “The job involves taking information about a huge number of crimes. Anything can come through on the phone from drug dealing or cultivation to uninsured drivers or even bomb threats. You have to be prepared for everything. “Some callers are friendly, others can be very difficult. We get people who are concerned for their children or friends worried about

Alex Haughton has been a call handler at the bureau for three years. He said: “We do have to deal with some very difficult cases and there will often be people who are distressed and crying when they phone.

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

“I know I have to put my work head on. You can’t get too attached otherwise I think it would be really hard emotionally. “I need to help them by being focused in order to get the right information to pass to the police. “Calls aren’t recorded and we don’t take personal details so it’s really the only opportunity you’ll get to speak to the individual. It’s important that you get as much information as possible in that one call.” He added: “It is demanding, but very rewarding. I work with a great team and we support each other. I can have a laugh with them outside of work and it’s vital to be able to let your hair down. “I never imagined I would get into

a drug dealer who is selling to a friend. “They pass on information because they feel they’re doing a good thing. I’ve learned to adapt to deal with the different calls – and I’ve grown a thick skin. “You must be able to extract the important information and pass it to the right authority so they can take action. “One of the first calls I took led to the arrest of a prolific drink driver. I’ve also taken information which stopped a planned prison break. “The work that we do is really important. There are many people who distrust the police and they like the fact that they can pass information to us anonymously, without fearing any repercussions.”

a job like this but I absolutely love it here. “Crimestoppers provides a hugely important service. “There are many people who won’t go to the police because they fear the repercussions – they don’t want to give their name or stand up in court. “It is scary for them and I completely understand that. This is why it’s vital that Crimestoppers exists. “I get some people ask me if there’s any point in calling and it’s easy to show them that there is. We’ve been around and growing for 26 years. We’re helping to tackle crime. Surely we must be doing something right.”

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CAMPAIGNING FOR THE FUTURE

Left to right: Openreach CEO Joe Garner with Crimestoppers Founder Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC and Crimestoppers CEO Mark Hallas.

– DIGITAL MEDIA Digital media is at the forefront of Crimestoppers’ campaigns and communications. In particular we utilise social tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as our website to drive information from the public to our bureau. These platforms prove most effective for our educational, preventative and awareness-raising campaigns. By making the most of online tools available we can reach out to wider audiences across the UK.

NORTHERN POWERGRID Crimestoppers has been in partnership with Northern Powergrid since 2011, working together to tackle the theft of metal and cable from the power network in the North East, Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire. This crime not only affects Northern Powergrid’s customer power supply but also causes a serious public safety issue. In 2014 we piloted our newly developed digital campaign on Northern Powergrid’s behalf to raise public awareness and increase the amount of actionable intelligence on this crime. Facebook’s geographic data and Northern Powergrid’s target audience were utilised to ensure the correct demographic was reached. Our call to action and reward of up to £1,000 for information were also promoted.

CAMPAIGN RESULTS • 800,000 people reached via Facebook • 32 pieces of intelligence received on metal / cable theft • 3,800 engagements with the digital advert • 900% increase in information from target areas • £24,100 worth of media coverage achieved These fantastic results demonstrate the benefit of Crimestoppers’ digital campaigns and this was endorsed by Northern Powergrid’s Vulnerable Assets Manager Nigel Walker. He said: “This was a really well run and monitored campaign with excellent continual review and feedback.”

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Rewarding Partnershipswe say thank you The incredible BT Tower set the scene The iconic BT Tower was the setting for Crimestoppers’ latest Rewarding Partnerships event, which was attended by some of the Charity’s most valued corporate stakeholders. The gathering, hosted by our partner Openreach, was an opportunity to thank Crimestoppers’ partners for their support this year, while outlining plans to work closer with key stakeholders in the future. Speaking at the event, Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC said:

“At Crimestoppers we’re here to help, and can make a real contribution to protecting you from unforeseen risks. Each case is unique and each company or sector has slightly different requirements. “What is clear is that we take information and intelligence that can make a real difference to understanding the potential threats to your business.” Joe Garner, Openreach Chief Executive, added: “We greatly value our successful partnership with Crimestoppers. We appreciate the crucial role that Crimestoppers plays in combating crime.” The event saw around 90 guests in attendance, with representatives present from industries including communications, energy, film and rail. Senior Account Manager Sadie Miller enjoying the evening with corporate stakeholders.

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national

FUNDRAISING As a Charity, fundraising is essential to making sure that we can continue to grow and increase our reach across the UK. Donations are our life source. They help us to raise awareness of crime and make communities safer for everyone. Fundraising can be a challenge and it’s not a simple matter of shaking a tin on the street. We constantly come up with new and innovative ways to encourage the public to donate to our worthy cause. Here are some of our initiatives:

PAYROLL GIVING A member of the public tries out Game of Fraud

The Game of Fraud Another example of digital activity was Crimestoppers’ fraud prevention campaign ‘Game of Fraud’, which was developed to raise awareness and educate the public on the latest financial fraud trends affecting the UK. Long-standing, new and emerging fraud types are becoming increasingly complex and are largely being funnelled through online activity. We wanted to create an educational, engaging and interactive resource with an element of fun.

BESPOKE QUIZ For this campaign we created an online quiz to enable the public to answer

questions. We then provided them with a card detailing the fraud they may be most susceptible to. Each fraud card displayed key facts and advice on how to protect yourself, and this information was also provided in more detail on a microsite. We also used paid social media to drive traffic to the website, banners on the central Crimestoppers website and a selection of printed versions of the fraud cards. Five launch events were held across the UK where we engaged with members of the public. They had the opportunity to complete the quiz and become a fraud champion!

CAMPAIGN RESULTS Over the two month launch period:

10,122

70%

Visits to the ‘Game of Fraud’ website.

Of the web traffic was as a result of the social media and PPC campaign.

860,000 213,000

£8,862

Impressions were generated from the adWords PPC campaign.

Media coverage achieved.

Users reached by Facebook.

www.crimestoppers-uk.org | 0800 555 1 1 1

This is a tax-free donation that comes directly from an individual’s salary. It allows them to make payments directly from their pay or pension and means they get tax relief on their donation. LEGACY GIVING In September last year we became a partner of Remember a Charity. This is a consortium of over 140 charities which work together to encourage more people to consider leaving a charitable gift in their Will. Legacy income is currently worth over £2 billion a year. CHALLENGE EVENTS Last year we extended our portfolio of fundraising challenge events. Now, in addition to the London Marathon, we have secured places at a number of small adventure races including 7K race the Mudnificent 7, and The Muscle Acre, which includes 5K and 10K runs with plenty of tricky obstacles – including the ‘manure mound’. Last year we also took part in the 5K Zombie Evacuation Race for the first time. To hear how we fared against an army of the undead, turn to page 14. MORE INFORMATION For information on how you can donate, visit our website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org/getinvolved

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fundraising

THE ZOMBIE EVACUATION RACE

Andrew Murphy, campaigns officer/honorary zombie.

was a SCREAM for the Crimestoppers team! Kieran and Hannah from the Communications team bravely volunteered to dodge the undead to raise money for the Charity at the 5K Zombie Evacuation Race at the Allianz Stadium, North London. The challenge involved completing the course without being ‘infected’ by the hoard of bloodthirsty zombies. Each runner had a belt with three tags attached to it. The aim was to get to the finish without the zombies getting them all. As if running the treacherous 5K wasn’t testing enough, Hannah and Kieran turned their fundraising efforts into a competition – asking friends, colleagues and family to donate to whoever they wanted to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Posters declaring ‘Save Hannah’ or ‘Save Kieran’ were publicised through the Crimestoppers Facebook and Twitter Page. And the feedback was fantastic – with Kieran raising a total of £160 and Hannah £135. Together with funds raised from two other runners, Adam and Grace, the total raised was just under £400. Despite their valiant fundraising efforts, both Hannah and Kieran fell victim to the zombie army and became infected after losing all their tags. But they still made it to the end in record times – finishing in the top ten per cent of 700 runners.

Kieran and I may have both failed to beat the zombies, but we had such fun raising money and the event was incredible. We’re both looking forward to taking the challenge on again next year. Hannah Mouland, Crimestoppers Media Officer

Adam, Hannah, Grace and Kieran after the event.

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Kieran and Hannah getting in some training.

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London Marathon 2015 We’re looking forward to the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon this April, with a host of runners already signed up for us. In 2014, our team raised almost £60,000 for the Charity and we hope this year will be just as successful.

Our ballot places are now taken but if you already have a place in the Marathon and you are interested in running for us, please get in touch. All our runners get their own branded vest as well as tips and fundraising support from our central office. There’s even a

complimentary sports massage to soothe your aches and pains at the end. If you don’t want to run but still want to support us, Crimestoppers will have the loudest cheer team on the day – come down and join us! For more information about running for Crimestoppers call 020 8835 3700 or email events@crimestoppers-uk.org

Chairs come together to discuss our strategy

Phil O’Shea, Deputy Chair of the Charity’s Advisory Board, speaks at the Chairs Away Day.

1 Tim Prideaux, Chair of

the Surrey Committee, suggested a skills audit of volunteers to help identify members who could more effectively communicate with particular communities. He said: “These volunteers can gauge what people want, how they want it and what is the best way of getting into that community.” 2 Carolyn Collard, Chair

for the South East Regional Committee, discussed the issue of providing access to high quality information. She said: “It’s got

October saw another successful annual Chairs Away Day in London. The event, which has been running for four years, brought together key volunteers from across the country. Dan Haskell, Regions and Volunteer Manager, said: “The volunteers are integral to the success of the Charity. The annual meeting allows us to tap into their wealth of knowledge and skills. It’s also a great way

to be the highest level of excellence and it’s got to be up-to-date, especially on ever-changing issues like cyber crime.” 3 Phil O’Shea, Deputy

Chair of the Charity’s Advisory Board, highlighted the need to have more expertise around the issue of analytics. He spoke about the potential to use information coming through the bureau to build relationships with companies who are being affected by crime. His group had also discussed the

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to motivate and share good practice.” Top of the agenda this year was a Q & A with Head of Performance, Karen Ogborn, about the new five-year strategy. Workshops on the day gave members the chance to separate into groups to discuss what the local and regional implications for the strategy were and there was some useful feedback...

opportunity to use information to identify trends in crime, which could be used to brief local jurisdiction, and help Crimestoppers create more targeted campaigns. He said: “The key part is understanding the value of information that we hold – is there anything else in the data that can inform us? We shouldn’t just take it at face value. What are the wider implications?”

engage with community leaders and target specific channels, including newspapers and radio stations, to get Crimestoppers’ message across. He added: “We need to understand the community and understand the culture fully so we can tailor messages to what they want and not what we think they want.”

4 Dave Hunter, Regional

Manager for the North East, spoke about how important it was to

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Welcoming New Faces Last year Crimestoppers was delighted to bring on board brand new volunteers to Chair committees across the UK

David Crawley

Tony Butler

James Shepherd Cross

Sue Hall

SCOTLAND

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

SUFFOLK

Scotland welcomed David Crawley, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the world of advertising, marketing and media. Yorkshire-born David, who moved to Scotland 18 years ago, is no stranger to volunteer work. He was President of Junior Rugby at the Edinburgh Accies Rugby Club and still coaches sport at the weekends. He said: “All volunteers have energy, bags of enthusiasm and a sense of pride in what they do.” Speaking of his new role at Crimestoppers he added: “I believe the Charity is ideally positioned to provide an important vehicle for the reporting of crime and criminal activity. Promoting this to an increasingly diverse socioeconomic and multi-cultural society is an exciting challenge for Crimestoppers in Scotland.”

Former Chief Constable Tony Butler is the new Chair of the Gloucestershire committee. Although Tony is a new face at Crimestoppers, his association with the Charity actually began in the 1990s. He was a member of the ACPO Crime Committee, which helped support the establishment of Crimestoppers. Since retiring as Chief Constable of Gloucestershire in 2001, he has been involved with numerous charity projects, including child protection overseas. He said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to promote the work of Crimestoppers and I hope that my experience as a serving police officer brings some additional expertise to our work.”

The Northamptonshire committee was joined by James Shepherd Cross, who was a former High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. James, who has lived in the county for 36 years, spent his term of office in 2013/2014 mentoring at Magistrates Courts, High Court and the Coroners Court. He also visited prisons as well as probation and social services. Since then he has become a member of the Criminal Justice Board for the county. He said: “I was inspired by the voluntary work Crimestoppers carries out for the benefit of the community.”

Sue Hall is new to the committee in Suffolk. She worked for companies in a variety of industries across the world before settling in the county, where she launched cleaning agency Maid2Clean. As the new chair of Suffolk, she is currently focused on growing the committee by recruiting new members. She said: “The challenge is always to balance my voluntary work with my business life and other voluntary commitments. There is quite a bit to do, but I am optimistic and I’m enjoying the new challenges.”

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Also new to the volunteer Chair role are: Bruce Cameron in Nottinghamshire, Colin Culleton in Leicestershire and Rutland, Gary Dale in West Yorkshire, Abbie Webb in Cheshire, John Davies in Lancashire, Ian Robinson in Derbyshire, Peter Rolington in Kent and Peter Stafford in Northern Ireland.

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regionalnews

Cymru/Wales

Bedfordshire

Crimestoppers Cymru/Wales is cracking down on crimes affecting sport thanks to funding from the Percy Hoskins Award. The grant was launched in 2012 to help local projects that are particularly innovative in promoting the Charity’s services. CS Cymru/Wales won the bid to promote Crimestoppers through a number of sporting events across a three year period. Gordon Shumack, Project Manager, said: “There can be little doubt that Wales has a tremendous and proud affinity with sport. “And it’s enjoyed by all - whether it’s a major event at the Millennium Stadium or children on their bikes at a local park. “But it’s not free from crime. Sports equipment, playing venues and club premises all attract criminals.” CS Cymru/Wales has acquired the backing of several key organisations – including the Welsh Sports Association and the Welsh Lacrosse Association. Both have helped to spread the Crimestoppers message to their supporters. Posters designed for particular sports have also been created to assist other national governing bodies to combat crime. The latest theme to be addressed is the theft of pedal cycles. Cycling has had a

significant boost in Wales, with keen mountain bikers and tourists flocking in to use the huge variety of cycle routes. Posters warning of cycle thefts were distributed throughout the country by Welsh Cycling and British Transport Police.

CS have a super team to combat crime in Wales. Schemes are planned to detect, disrupt and prevent those who are responsible for crime affecting sports. Gordon Shumack, Project Manager.

Bedfordshire Crimestoppers came up with an innovative way to spread the message about keeping the streets clean from burglary and the handling of stolen goods. The committee used power cleaners to write campaign messages into the dirt of car parks and pavements. Julia Hughes, Regional Manager, said: “This was an extremely

innovative idea which was cost effective and reached thousands of local people.” The stunt was part of a threemonth campaign alongside police and community safety partners. Residents were urged to spot the signs of burglary, handling and buying stolen goods. The aim was to encourage more to speak up and break the cycle.

Derbyshire

Derbyshire Crimestoppers committee held a successful Crime Awareness Day at Derby’s Indian Community Centre Association.

More than 120 people attended the event to hear about crime prevention and how they could protect themselves, their home and their families.

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They were also told about the numerous community resources available to them. Crimestoppers volunteers Brian and Jeevan gave presentations alongside Derbyshire PCC Alan Charles and Assistant PCC Hardyal Dhindsa. Jeevan said: “It was important that Crimestoppers representatives were at the event to talk to people in

person about the work of the Charity. “There were people at the event who wouldn’t have fully understood our message by simply reading a leaflet because English isn’t their first language. “I speak Punjabi and it really helped me to talk to a lot of the people who attended our event. This type of face-to-face engagement proved really effective on this occasion.”

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Surrey

Cumbria

L to R: Deputy Chief Constable of Surrey Police Nick Ephgrave, High Sheriff Mr Peter Lee, Dr Helen Bowcock, Chair of Surrey Crimestoppers Tim Prideaux, Deputy Chair of Surrey CS Ian Chandler.

L to R: Gary Murray, Regional Manager for the North East, with Cumbria PCC Richard Rhodes.

Surrey Crimestoppers reinforced our promise of absolute anonymity at their fourth annual Ambassadors Reception. Organised by Chairman Tim Prideaux and hosted by former Surrey High Sheriff, Dr Helen Bowcock, the event sought to raise awareness of Crimestoppers and encourage more volunteers to promote our work. Deputy Chairman Ian Chandler was one of the speakers to address the 60 guests and took the opportunity to speak about Crimestoppers’ guarantee of anonymity to all those who come to us with information. Interestingly, some were

Scotland

not aware of the promise and were interested to hear how it had remained unbroken in the 26 years since we were founded. He said: “Our success is dependent on promoting awareness of Crimestoppers’ promise of anonymity to as many people as possible. “We need more people to help us do this by becoming ambassadors for Crimestoppers within their organisations and communities.” Deputy Chief Constable Nick Ephgrave also spoke at the event to talk about cases where our anonymous information had been paramount to solving investigations.

Below: Scotland Volunteer Chair David Crawley (left) at the launch of ‘Illegal Eviction - Know Your Rights.’

CRIMESTOPPERS Scotland joined forces with homelessness charity Shelter Scotland to raise awareness of the practice of illegal eviction by private landlords. It is estimated that hundreds of illegal evictions are carried out each year in Scotland. Cases involve eviction without following the correct legal processes, changing the locks, or threatening violence or intimidation. Alarmingly, many landlords are unaware that their actions are a criminal offence or they are knowingly breaking the law in the belief that they won’t be caught. But illegal eviction is a serious crime that will be dealt with by the police and can result in a heavy fine or even

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Cumbria Crimestoppers signed up two new volunteers after a successful Fearless seminar at Carlisle Racecourse. More than 100 people came along to hear about the youth service and crimes affecting young people today – including child sexual exploitation and cyber bullying. Speakers included North West Regional Manager, Gary Murray, who gave an introduction to Crimestoppers, and Fearless Outreach Worker Sam Evans, who spoke about the work of the youth service. Representatives from Cumbria Police discussed internet safety, child sexual exploitation and cyber

a prison sentence. Scotland’s new Volunteer Chair, David Crawley, made his first official appearance for the Charity at the launch of the campaign ‘Illegal Eviction-Know Your Rights’ in Edinburgh.

TENANTS’ RIGHTS He was joined by Graeme Brown, from Shelter, and Chief Inspector Kenny Thomson, from Police Scotland. Angela Parker, National Manager for Crimestoppers Scotland, said: “We were told that

bullying as well as restorative justice and drugs. Attendees were also given the opportunity to hear a panel discussion on youth crime in Cumbria. Katherine Armstrong-Rand, Regional Assistant, said: “Everyone in the committee worked incredibly hard to make sure the day flowed smoothly.

The day was very well attended and, as a result, we have recruited two new volunteer members to our committee. We also received more orders for Fearless materials. many tenants feel threatened, fearful and powerless in eviction situations. With this in mind, we saw an opportunity to offer our anonymous crime-reporting service and it was welcomed by the partners. “We worked very closely with Shelter Scotland and Police Scotland to create a Scottish-wide campaign. “It was targeted at private tenants and landlords with a very clear and simple message. It proved very effective and resulted in great media coverage.”

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regionalnews Charles Pitcher (l) presenting a cheque to Regional Manager Gordon Chisholm (r).

Essex

Eastern regional manager Ann Scott (left) with Essex volunteer Shani Jackson.

West Country West Country Crimestoppers were delighted to receive a donation of more than £4000 from the generous members of Long Ashton Golf Club. The club holds a Captain’s Charity Day every year and all proceeds go to a charity of their choice. Club Captain Charles Pitcher picked Crimestoppers as a worthy nominee and raised a staggering £4,108 for us over the course of the fundraising day. A cheque was presented to West Country Regional Manager Gordon Chisholm at a special presentation evening for the club’s tournament winners. Gordon said: “We were incredibly grateful that the club had picked us as their chosen charity. The amount of money raised was absolutely incredible and it will certainly go a long way to helping us to continue the great work of Crimestoppers in the West Country.” Rod Rocks Christmas Dinner Hearts were racing when rock legend Rod Stewart made a special appearance at West Country Crimestoppers’ Charity Christmas Dinner last month. Unfortunately it wasn’t the real deal, but impersonator Dave Hook, from Bristol, managed to fool a few of the guests and he certainly brought the house down with Rod’s classic hits.

More than £6000 was raised for Crimestoppers on the evening, held at DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Bristol. As well as musical entertainment from Dave, there was an auction of eight fantastic prizes that had been donated by supporting organisations, including The Bristol Hippodrome, The Colston Hall, First Great Western, Rolls-Royce, Crosscountry Rail, and the Bloodhound - an engineering project to build the world’s fastest SuperSonic car. Gordon said: “We couldn’t do it without the help of the committee, who are all volunteers, and organisations who all club together to help source and donate prizes for the auction and raffle”.

Entertainer - Rod Stewart impersonator Dave Hook.

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Essex Crimestoppers clamped down on burglary with campaigns that led to four arrests. The crime had been identified as a priority by Essex Police and the committee worked hard to help tackle the problem in districts across the county. The campaigns, funded by the PCC Nick Alston, kicked off with a postcard drop at homes which had been targeted by burglars. This was followed by adverts in a variety of media – from bus shelters and bus tickets to Facebook, radio, and Bluetooth messaging. An ad van, bearing the campaign’s slogan ‘5 minutes to steal, 1 minute to call us’, was also used to tour burglary hot spots as well as busy areas.

SUCCESS Following the campaign, four arrests were made – three more than the previous year. Crimestoppers received a total of 20 pieces of information, compared to just two the year before. And five pieces of information related to handling stolen goods, something we had received no information on in the previous year in the county. Ann Scott, Crimestoppers Eastern Regional Manager, said “This was a priority crime for Essex Police and we felt it was important to help them tackle the problem. “Even if our information has led to just one less burglary happening, in my mind it has been a success. “It can have such a devastating impact on people, and Crimestoppers can play a major part in changing that.”

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Our Vision We believe that individuals and communities have a right to be safe from crime and the fear of crime. Each of us has a responsibility to create a country where there are fewer victims of crime.

Our Mission Crimestoppers detects, reduces and prevents crimes through the provision of information. We give people information and tools to act against crime. Through the promise of anonymity, vulnerable individuals and communities can stand up against crime and criminals and the fear they bring through intimidation and possible retaliation.

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