Crimestoppers calls led to 13 murder charges in Scotland
- Published
The Crimestoppers charity received more than 14,500 pieces of information last year
The charity Crimestoppers has said it received a record number of calls in the year 2018-19.
Information which it passed on to police in Scotland resulted in 738 people being arrested and charged.
They included 13 accused of unlawful killing and 17 wanted persons traced by officers.
The charity, which offers rewards for information on some crimes, guarantees any information it receives by phone, or online, is treated anonymously.
Over the 12 months from April 2018-March 2019 Crimestoppers received a total of 14,534 pieces of anonymous information which it passed on to Police Scotland.
That was an increase of 6.3% on the previous year and 45% up over three years.
Angela Parker, national manager for Crimestoppers Scotland, said the rise showed people were putting their trust in the independent charity as a way to pass on crime information anonymously.
She added: "Often people are too scared or concerned to speak directly to the police, despite holding the key in terms of crime information.
"Our guarantee of anonymity means they can pass on information without fearing consequences. Their identity will never be known.
"Crimestoppers information is possibly the missing piece of information to make up a full inquiry into an ongoing criminal case."
Following information police received from the charity;
738 people were arrested and charged - an increase of 39.5% on the previous year
Thirteen firearms and 11 knives were recovered
drugs with a street value of £961,918
and stolen goods and cash worth £264,466.
Rewards of up to £25,000 can be offered by Crimestoppers for specific crimes to help encourage people to pass on information about crime and to help the charity generate publicity for a case.
The Scottish government's Minister for Community Safety Ash Denham said she encouraged anyone witnessing a crime or has information about criminality in their community to report it.
She said: "I'm pleased to see the number of reports to Crimestoppers reach a record high in the past 12 months.
"Crimestoppers has a crucial role in helping reduce crime by providing a unique service where people can pass on information 100% anonymously. By using this service the public can help to prevent, detect and solve crime within their local community."
Calls to Crimestoppers which are guaranteed to be anonymous can be made to 0800 555 111 or via a non-traceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org, external.