Reward offered for helping catch Withywood Park arsonists

In the crazy world of crime-fighting there have been too many times to mention when I've been left completely confused by the actions of criminals. This is certainly the case with a number of unsavoury characters in South Bristol who have taken it upon themselves to set fire to rubbish bins in a local park. 'What's the point?' I'm sure you're wondering.

In a two week period, 18 wheelie bins have been taken from outside and inside people's gardens into Withywood Park where they were set alight. The fires have damaged the surface of the children's play areas and a skate board area.

To help find the perpetrators, Westcountry Crimestoppers and a local residents' group have put up £100 for information on those committing the crimes.

if you have information about the arsonists who are causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and ruining the park for the families, children, dog-walkers and other local residents who use it daily you can do something about it!

Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or go to the online Giving Information Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Not only will you be helping your community but you can also get a reward of £100 for information that leads to an arrest of any of those responsible. Don't let them get away with it...

Rewards on offer to beat drug dealers!

Nobody wants drugs being dealt on their doorstep. So UK crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is taking action against drug dealers in Rugeley, Staffordshire, by offering rewards to those people with information on drug dealers and other criminals in the area.

The new campaign is in response to a recent survey where locals wanted to see more action taken to rid the streets of drug dealers. It aims to inform locals that they can call the charity about criminals and crimes and remain completely anonymous. That means they'll never have to go to court or even give a statement.


The campaign involves postcards being delivered to homes in the area with the message ‘drug dealers can no longer hide in Rugeley’. Posters and leaflets are also being distributed in the town’s library and welfare office.

The other great thing is that if the information Crimestoppers receives leads to someone being charged, not even convicted in court, then the caller is entitled to a reward. The cash is paid out using a code so the person giving information is never revealed.

Good work Crimestoppers for helping  to get drug dealers behind bars!

Criminals get shopped in crackdown on violence against retailers!

Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers has joined forces with The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) to tackle violent crime against retailers in the UK.

Launched on 19 October 2010 at The Association of Convenience Stores Crime Prevention Forum, the initiative is also backed by the Home Office. The collaboration has brought together a reward fund of up to £50,000 for information that leads to a conviction in cases of serious violent crime in local shops.

Crimestoppers, with their wealth of experience (no pun intended) in paying rewards to brave members of the public who give the charity information about crime anonymously, are administering the fund.

The initiative is part of a wider commitment to raise community awareness about the violence experienced by those working in local shops and encourage greater reporting of information about retail crime.

So if you'd like to give information about this or any other type of crime call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or go to http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/ and fill in the untraceable online form.

Get shopping!

Dig-it drugs project receives National Crimebeat Award!

The team from Fearless, Crimestoppers’ youth brand, recently attended the annual National Crimebeat Awards and had the honour of presenting 3rd prize to the Dig-it Team from West Sussex.

Dig-it is a project which started in 2009 and is run by a team of dedicated volunteers. The project addresses young people’s needs for drug and alcohol information, advice and support, teaching them to form responsible choices about drugs. The volunteers have all been specially trained to help make their roles as effective as possible.

The project aims to reduce the risk of 11-24 year olds becoming victims or offenders of drug crime and also reduce the harm caused to communities when faced with drug and alcohol misuse. The project does this by hosting its own website providing information and support to those who need it. It also provides workshops to schools, colleges and youth clubs around the consequences of drug and alcohol misuse.

Over 1500 young people have benefited from or are participating in the workshops, including vulnerable young adults with learning difficulties. The scheme is supported by West Sussex Drug & Alcohol Team as well as reformed drug users who advise and share valuable experiences with participants, and Outset – a youth volunteering charity – which is helping find young volunteers to help deliver the project across West Sussex.

A well-deserved award for a very worthwhile project!

Dozy thief gets caught after taking a nap in stolen cab

A woman in Louisiana, US, made the mother and father of all criminal blunders as she stole a cab, then fell asleep in it… and was promptly arrested.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning as the woman demanded that the cab driver take her to Michigan, a mere 1,200 miles away! Naturally the cab driver refused, to which his passenger responded by starting to take her clothes off! The stunned cab driver thought it was best to take the woman to a police station after seeing her less than normal behaviour but, after pulling into the nearest station forgot to take his car keys with him.

The woman saw this as the perfect opportunity to steal the vehicle, so got into the driver’s seat and drove away. Stealing a cab obviously took its toll as local police confirmed that the thief only made it a few minutes down the road before parking up and falling asleep!

The woman, identified as Jennifer Gille, aged 29, was arrested and charged with stealing a vehicle and exposing herself. It goes to show that there’s never a boring day in the world of crime-fighting!