Film brings Crimestoppers message to young people

Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers has unveiled a new viral video called 'Don't let it be too late' to introduce young people to their youth brand Fearless and highlight the service the charity provides.

The concept

The film clip is a dramatic portrayal of the way young people have, in some ways, become desensitized to seeing violent acts happen around them and in turn may have become comfortable with not actively speaking about these acts of violence.

Fearless allows young people to give information about crime anonymously via the 0800 555 111 hotline and through fearless.org.

Single launched this week in aid of the charity Crimestoppers

The Cleveland committee of crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers are helping to launch a single today to help raise awareness of victims of crime.

The single The Last Flower is on sale now and for every CD sold £1.50 goes directly to the charity.

Though I'm usually into my flamenco and and having a strum on my Spanish guitar, this song really 'strikes a chord' so to speak.

Songwriter Al Sask, who penned The Last Flower has a history of writing songs with an emotional subject after he wrote Forever Young: a song for Wootton Bassett.

Do your bit in the fight against crime and get yourself a copy of The Last Flower today.

'Clean up' on crime as pensioners fight off knife attacker with cleaning liquid

An elderly pair of women managed to ward off a would-be attacker by brandishing a pair of scissors and a bottle of Flash cleaning fluid at a motorway service station in Selby, North Yorkshire.

June Cawkill and Norma Doherty were working at the service station when the cowardly criminal entered and threatened the pair with a knife, ordering them to give him the money from the till.

But the perky pensioners scared the attacker off, one grabbing a pair of scissors and the other chasing him out of the shop with a bottle of Flash cleaning liquid which she'd been using to wipe down the shelves.

The bungled attempt proves that crime doesn't pay as the two women really showed their knife-wielding nemesis who was boss!

Though the bravery of Norma and June can only be described as 'extraordinario' as we would say back home, don't worry if you haven't got any cleaner to hand...instead you can play your part in making your community safer by giving information about crimes anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through the online giving information form.

One down...nine to go!

Less than one day into an international crackdown on Britain's most wanted criminals an arrest has already been made! Wow! And I thought I worked fast (despite my advancing years before you ask).

Operation Captura - which launched on Monday - is the campaign run by the charity Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). The campaign works to catch the UK's most wanted criminals who are believed to be on the run in Spain - otherwise known as the 'Costa crooks.'

Most wanted fugitive Everardus WIJTVLIET was arrested at roughly 6.30pm Monday evening in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, where officers from the Spanish National Police swooped in and caught the first of the ten.

The remaining nine fugitives are now thought to be running scared (and who can blame them) as 39 out of the 60 wanted under Operation Captura have now been caught. They can run but they can't hide!

Read more about the arrest here

Criminals hiding on the Costa beware as Operation Captura returns!

Once again the crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is cracking down on criminals on the run in the Spanish Costas.

Teaming up with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Crimestoppers has today launched the sixth batch of appeals under Operation Captura to catch some of the UK's most dangerous criminals. Wanted for serious crimes including murder, drugs trafficking and child sex offences, these guys are really some of the worst I've seen in all my years of fighting crime.

Launched in Alicante, an area of Spain with a large ex-pat community and a potential hideout for fugitives on the run, Crimestoppers also works with Spanish police to catch some of the most dangerous criminals from the UK who try to escape to the Spanish Costas.

The campaign works because members of the public use the Crimestoppers website to view these criminals and know that they can contact the charity with information and never be identified.

The Crimestoppers anonymity promise has never been broken in the 23 years that the charity's been running. People can give information via the 0800 555 111 hotline or through the online giving information form.

See if you can help catch some of Britain's worst crooks...

Read more about the ten most wanted here

Young people to become Fearless against crime in the Isle of Man

Young people in the Isle of Man are to become Fearless in the fight against crime as the charity Crimestoppers launched its service for young people in the region.

The all-day launch event was held on 5 February at the Strand Shopping Centre in Douglas. Kicking off at 9am, it featured young people from Douglas Royal Ladies Football and Ballakermeen High School, who backed the launch.

Crimestoppers representatives were also on hand to get members of the public involved.

Fearless is the youth brand of crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers. The service includes the website fearless.org - which contains useful information on crimes that affect young people and provides them with a platform to give information about crime anonymously.

Information about crime can also be given via the Crimestoppers website and the hotline 0800 555 111.

Check out fearless.org now!

Help catch the Most Wanted distraction burglars in the UK!

As you know, in my line of work I'm apposed to any form of crime...but there are some offenders that really are the lowest of the low. Distraction burglars trick their way into people's homes - often targeting the elderly and vulnerable who live alone - to steal from them.

Distraction burglars take advantage of the people who trust them and enter people's properties on the premise of 'reading the meter' or telling the victim they urgently need 'repairs' to their roof, which they can provide. 

Burglaries traditionally peak during February, so to help catch the worst offenders of distraction burglary and to warn members of the public about who they let in their homes, crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers has launched the Top Ten Most Wanted Distraction Burglars campaign.

Some of these individuals have not only stolen money and possessions from elderly people - some of whom were over 90 years of age - but they've traumatised them further by launching violent attacks on them because they know the victims can't fend for themselves. 

You can make a real difference by looking at the images and descriptions of the top ten Most Wanted distraction burglars and giving any information you have anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through the untraceable online form.

Remember, calls aren't recorded, your number won't be identified and you'll never have to go to court.

View the top ten Most Wanted distraction burglars here