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Crimestoppers wants Young People to be
Fearless against crime
INDEPENDENT charity Crimestoppers has
launched its youth service Fearless.org on Merseyside at an event at Aintree
Racecourse. A group of young people took part in an interactive session led by
Fearless youth worker Leon Hobson, who himself has been a victim of knife crime.
Leon, spoke about how the incident changed his life and how he now devotes his
life to helping young people make the right choices. The young people were given
the opportunity to speak about how crime impacts their lives and whether they
would report crime if there was a way to do it anonymously.
Those in attendance were also able to put challenging questions to Jane Kennedy,
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Crimestoppers Regional Manager, Gary
Murray and Liverpool Football Legend and Crimestoppers Volunteer, David Fairclough.
The unique service Fearless.org gives young people the chance to report crime
online anonymously and to learn more about crime and how it can destroy lives.
It is also a valuable resource for youth leaders and teachers to use as they
seek to tackle difficult subjects and challenge attitudes in their youth clubs
and classrooms.
David Fairclough, Liverpool Football legend and Crimestoppers volunteer said:-
"I volunteer for Crimestoppers because it is vital that we raise awareness that
the public has a vital role to play in making our communities safer by reporting
Crime anonymously. We need to explode the myth that you should not snitch on
criminals. These people do not care how much damage or harm they cause to our
young people. By reporting crime through Fearless.org they can make Merseyside
safer for their family and friends."
Colin Mathews, Chair of Crimestoppers' Merseyside Volunteer Committee said:-
"We are delighted to work in partnership with Aintree Racecourse to launch
our major youth initiative. It is vital that we engage with our young people
using media that is relevant to them and to let them see that they have a voice
and a role to play in making Merseyside safer. Sadly over the years we have seen
many young lives and families destroyed by crime on Merseyside, we hope that
using our online resource Fearless.org our young people will make the right
decisions and feel able to report crime anonymously."
Merseyside's Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said:- "We know that some
young people can be reluctant to talk to the Police. Their friends and even
their families may try to enforce a 'no grass' culture, partly due to ill
founded fears of what Police investigations can lead to. It is also another form
of bullying. We must change this. Young people need to know they can do the
right thing, helping to bring justice for victims of crime, in the knowledge
that by doing so they are making their own communities safer. Crimestoppers
provides a really important avenue for people to give information to the Police
anonymously and in complete confidence, and I welcome their decision to launch a
dedicated youth brand in our region to encourage young people to come forward
and report crime safely online without fear of reprisals."
Crimestoppers received over 6,500 pieces of actionable information by phone or
through the online form from its website, in 2016, in Merseyside, which is a
record number. In the 1st 6 months of this year 246 pieces of information on
possession of firearms alone were received and over ₤1.5 million pounds worth of
drugs were recovered.
Young people can contact us with information about crime anonymously via:-
Fearless.Org.
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