CALLS to Crimestoppers have directly led to almost 3,500 arrests and the recovery of £18million worth of drugs and property in East Anglia since the service was created, it can be revealed.

By Danielle Nuttall

CALLS to Crimestoppers have directly led to almost 3,500 arrests and the recovery of £18million worth of drugs and property in East Anglia since the service was created, it can be revealed.

During the past year alone, police have been able to make 10 arrests in Suffolk and reclaim £33,120 of stolen goods and drugs thanks to information supplied anonymously by members of the public to Crimestoppers.

In Essex, 103 arrests were made during 2005-6 while £62,660 worth of property and goods were recovered.

Crimestoppers was set up in 1988 to allow people to offer information about crime and criminals anonymously by calling its 0800 555 111 number.

The organisation has 35 boards of regional volunteers throughout the UK who raise funds for the charity and run local campaigns to target crimes such as burglary and anti-social behaviour.

Calltakers are specially trained and never ask for the name of the caller. They also will not trace or record the call and the caller will not have to give evidence in court.

Crimestoppers paid out five cash rewards worth a total of £1,800 last year to people in the eastern region after receiving information which led to the arrest and charge of an offender.

The offences ranged from drugs, theft, robbery and burglary.

The crimefighting charity also puts 18 arrests in the eastern region - which includes the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Northamptonshire - specifically down to television and newspaper coverage last year.

A spokesperson for Crimestoppers said: “We are all concerned about crime in our local communities but instead of staying silent there is something you can do about it.

“The police cannot solve crime on their own - they need help from the public. Some times they know who the criminals are but don't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

“Information that comes from Crimestoppers can often by the missing piece of information that will help them make an arrest. Anyone who has information about crime and wants to do more to make their community safer should call Crimestoppers.”

Nationally, 17 people are arrested every day due to information given to Crimestoppers while tip-offs to the charity are responsible for one person being arrested for murder every eight days.

Almost 50% of all arrests are for drugs offences and only 2% of callers ask for a reward.

Since 1988, Crimestoppers has received more than 700,000 calls with useful information which has resulted in more than 64,000 arrests and charges and the recovery of £86m worth of property and £114m of drugs.

nYou can contact Crimestoppers 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 0800 555111. You can also provide information on a secure online form at www.mostwanted-uk.org, which shows people wanted for questioning by the UK's police forces.

The Crimestoppers telephone number should only be used to give information about people involved in crime or who might be planning a crime. The emergency 999 number should always be used if a crime is being committed or if you are a victim of crime.