Insights

A festive pause to reflect on the strangest of years

Merry Christmas!

As we do our best to make the most of Christmas and New Year despite the ongoing pandemic, I think it’s safe to say 2020 is a year we will never forget.

The disruption and upheaval caused by the ongoing Coronavirus crisis has been profound, adding another dimension to the work of charities like ours which strive to help build safer communities and protect the vulnerable.

Covid challenges

I’d like to reflect a little on how we all coped with the pandemic, and in particular, our response to it. At the peak of the first national lockdown we were receiving up to 3,000 calls and online contacts from the public each day, many concerning those breaching the restrictions, along with important information on all other areas of crime.

We’re now receiving, on average, over 1,500 reports per day, a level that is as high as we’ve ever seen.

As people were forced to stay in their homes, Crimestoppers, along with charities such as Refuge who run the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, saw a 50% spike in anonymous reports about domestic abuse as neighbours, colleagues, friends and family spoke to us to pass on their concerns. It’s often communities who know where domestic abuse is happening, but people struggle to know what to do. Domestic abuse ruins lives and, during lockdown restrictions, it must be even more terrifying for victims. The support we gave, and still give, is vital.

Engaging the public

This year, we have worked closer than ever with other organisations which share our values. During challenging times, partnerships and collaboration with Neighourhood Watch, Victim Support, Refuge and many others enabled us to reach new audiences. Our combined efforts, along with law enforcement, helped tackle some of the most pressing crime problems.

Crimestoppers is here to help and I’m comforted that so many people take the courage to contact us rather than turn the other cheek.

Empowering the voiceless

It’s heart-warming that so many members of the public want to ‘do the right thing’ and contact us. And it really is incredible that we take over half a million contacts from the public each year. The number of reports we receive, and pass on to the police, continues to rise. However, we must always remember that behind all the reports are real stories of real people affected by crime – all doing their bit to make their community safer.

With our cast-iron guarantee of anonymity, we are unable to go into individual cases. What I can say, though, is that we have achieved some impressive results this year in all areas, from traditional crime to so-called high harm - such as domestic abuse and human trafficking.

In conclusion, it’s been an incredibly demanding and fast-changing year for us all. However, with our staff and volunteers’ commitment, sustained by you, our beneficiaries, I think that our charity is in a strong position to cope with what lies ahead.