Crimestoppers Receives its Millionth Call
| Published: 31st August 2008 09:42 |
After 20 years of helping to put criminals behind bars, confidential hotline Crimestoppers has received its millionth call much to the delight of local volunteers.
Lancashire Crimestoppers is currently the country's most successful board with more than one in five calls to the charity's 0800 555 111 number leading to a detection this year.
Chair of the Lancashire board Gail Porter said: "It is great to see that the residents of Lancashire really do believe in the Crimestoppers charity and continue to call the hotline. The anonymous information that ordinary people provide really does help solve crimes and make their own areas safer places.
"We have a fantastic board of dedicated volunteers who promote the Crimestoppers number across the county and we really are grateful for all their work.''
The charity's founder, Lord Ashcroft, said of the landmark contact - a tip-off about a knife crime in Leicestershire: "I never dreamt for a moment that we would reach this incredible milestone,' the charity's founder, Lord Ashcroft, said of the landmark contact - a tip-off about a knife crime in Leicestershire.
"It is testimony to the success of Crimestoppers and the impact we are making in helping the police to solve crimes and make our communities safer,'' he added.
'Actionable calls' have helped police catch 85,000 suspects. More than 800 people have been charged with murder and £150million worth of drugs seized.
The charity's Most Wanted website has resulted in more than 400 arrests.
Crimestoppers claims it contributes to one person being charged every five days. In its first year, the charity received 5,000 useful calls. That rose to more than 81,000 last year.
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
Crimestoppers has played a pivotal role in putting some of Britain's most-wanted criminals behind bars.
M25 rapist Antoni Imiela was captured after his neighbour called the charity, ending a £2million police inquiry. In 2004, Imiela, 49, was given seven life sentences for attacks in Kent, London, Surrey and Hertfordshire.
Another call led to Ian Kay, 28, receiving a minimum 22-year sentence for the 1994 killing of Woolworths manager John Penfold in Teddington.
Clifford Hobbs, 47, was tracked down after being featured on the charity's website. He got a life sentence after escaping from custody in a 2003 London prison van ambush.
The site also snared on-the-run sex offender Gianfranco Scarano, 51. He was jailed for six months.
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