Crimestoppers history

A young man working at a filling station in America had been shot and killed during a robbery, but the local police made little headway in their investigation. Detectives believed those responsible for the crime were local people, that somebody must have information, and for some reason were unwilling to speak to the police. After six weeks, an officer thought of a ‘hotline’ for callers to pass on information anonymously hoping this may allow people to tell them what they knew. He persuaded local businesses to finance the scheme and a television station to publicise it.

The phone line was a great success. Within 72 hours of the broadcast, information led to the arrest of the murderers. Unexpectedly information about many other crimes, some of which had not even been reported to police, were also received on the hotline. The Crimestoppers concept was born.

From this, the Crimestoppers concept has spread throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and most recently in Portugal, as well as the UK. The charity was set up in this country in 1988 and now operates throughout the whole of the UK.

This page was last updated on 3 October 2009