History
In 1985, PC Keith Blakelock was murdered during the riots at the Broadwater Farm estate in
London and the police appealed for information, stating that people knew who had been
responsible but were frightened of coming forward.
Michael Ashcroft (now Lord Ashcroft and Chairman of the Trustees of Crimestoppers), a
businessman, offered to provide the police with money for a reward to encourage
somebody to come forward with information. This led to discussions with the Commissioner
of the Metropolitan Police, resulting in Michael Ashcroft founding the establishment of the
Crimestoppers operation in the UK in January 1988. He set up the charity and together with
some business colleagues who were also concerned about the rise in violent crime, they
funded the UK operation.
Originally launched as the 'Community Action Trust', the charity was renamed
Crimestoppers in 1995, by then covering the whole of the UK, the Channel Islands and the
Isle of Man. Initially, the administrative organisation was based on TV regions, but the best
model proved to be local county-based committees working in partnership with single police
forces. The roll-out of this structure continues; there are now 38 volunteer committees
across the UK and a further increase will follow, as volunteer numbers grow sufficiently to
set up these new, more locally focused groups.
The concept of businesses establishing a partnership with the media and the police to help
solve crimes in this way, chimed with a study undertaken by the Metropolitan Police who
had come across Crimestoppers in America, originating some 10 years earlier in
Albuquerque. Lord Ashcroft has been Chairman of the Trustees of Crimestoppers for the
last 20 years and a core supporter and donor to the charity throughout this period.
In 1985, PC Keith Blakelock was murdered during the riots at the Broadwater Farm estate in
London and the police appealed for information, stating that people knew who had been
responsible but were frightened of coming forward.
Michael Ashcroft (now Lord Ashcroft and Chairman of the Trustees of Crimestoppers), a
businessman, offered to provide the police with money for a reward to encourage
somebody to come forward with information. This led to discussions with the Commissioner
of the Metropolitan Police, resulting in Michael Ashcroft founding the establishment of the
Crimestoppers operation in the UK in January 1988. He set up the charity and together with
some business colleagues who were also concerned about the rise in violent crime, they
funded the UK operation.
Originally launched as the 'Community Action Trust', the charity was renamed
Crimestoppers in 1995, by then covering the whole of the UK, the Channel Islands and the
Isle of Man. Initially, the administrative organisation was based on TV regions, but the best
model proved to be local county-based committees working in partnership with single police
forces. The roll-out of this structure continues; there are now 38 volunteer committees
across the UK and a further increase will follow, as volunteer numbers grow sufficiently to
set up these new, more locally focused groups.
The concept of businesses establishing a partnership with the media and the police to help
solve crimes in this way, chimed with a study undertaken by the Metropolitan Police who
had come across Crimestoppers in America, originating some 10 years earlier in
Albuquerque. Lord Ashcroft has been Chairman of the Trustees of Crimestoppers for the
last 20 years and a core supporter and donor to the charity throughout this period.
Who are Crimestoppers?
We are an independent charity helping to find criminals and solve crimes.
We have an anonymous phone number, 0800 555 111, that people can call to pass on
information about crime; alternatively people can send us information anonymously via the
website www.crimestoppers-uk.org, using our Giving Information Form. Callers don't have
to give their name or any personal information and calls cannot be traced.
Tell us what you know, not who you are.
Did you know...?
Crimestoppers is a charity. We are independent of the police and the government.
You can call the phone number, 0800 555 111, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Crimestoppers operates across the UK.
The phone number provides an invaluable community service, so that anybody who has
information about criminal activity can pass it on, without living in fear of the consequences.
Many criminals exploit people's fear to avoid arrest.
Every call is treated with absolute anonymity so that nobody will know the identity of the
caller, except you, the caller. Rewards are also available and are paid without compromising
a caller's anonymity. The information you give us is passed onto the police in such a way
that they do not know who you are; we have never given the police information about our
callers. It's a simple and secure way of bringing criminals to justice, without anybody
knowing who the information came from.
The 0800 555 111 phone number has been helping to find criminals and solve crime for 20
years. It's a system that works for everyone – except criminals. You can also give us
information anonymously online - just fill out our Giving Information Form.
We are an independent charity helping to find criminals and solve crimes.
We have an anonymous phone number, 0800 555 111, that people can call to pass on
information about crime; alternatively people can send us information anonymously via the
website www.crimestoppers-uk.org, using our Giving Information Form. Callers don't have
to give their name or any personal information and calls cannot be traced.
Tell us what you know, not who you are.
Did you know...?
Crimestoppers is a charity. We are independent of the police and the government.
You can call the phone number, 0800 555 111, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Crimestoppers operates across the UK.
The phone number provides an invaluable community service, so that anybody who has
information about criminal activity can pass it on, without living in fear of the consequences.
Many criminals exploit people's fear to avoid arrest.
Every call is treated with absolute anonymity so that nobody will know the identity of the
caller, except you, the caller. Rewards are also available and are paid without compromising
a caller's anonymity. The information you give us is passed onto the police in such a way
that they do not know who you are; we have never given the police information about our
callers. It's a simple and secure way of bringing criminals to justice, without anybody
knowing who the information came from.
The 0800 555 111 phone number has been helping to find criminals and solve crime for 20
years. It's a system that works for everyone – except criminals. You can also give us
information anonymously online - just fill out our Giving Information Form.