Our story

We are an independent charity that gives people the power to speak up and stop crime, 100% anonymously.

By phone and online, 24/7, 365 days a year. We also share advice on how to protect the people you care about from crime. We’re working towards a country where everyone will feel safe, wherever they live.

In the beginning

We’ve been around since 1988. We started off as the Community Action Trust with a simple phone line. People called our team and they listened; they took information about crime, stripped it of any information that could identify the person making the call, and passed it to the police.

Some things have changed since 1988. We became Crimestoppers in 1995, and we still get lots of phone calls, but most of the information comes in online to our national Contact Centre. We've grown in size and ambition, working with businesses to make communities safer, and carrying out educational campaigns through our regional teams and central office.

Since 2005, we've hosted appeals for suspects on our Most Wanted Gallery. One thing hasn’t changed: whoever contacts us on 0800 555 111 and via our online form with information about crime, is 100% anonymous. Always.

Our history

Our purpose has been the same since we were founded by Michael Ashcroft (now Lord Ashcroft) and his business colleagues. They wanted a way for people to come forward anonymously with information about the murder of PC Keith Blakelock during the 1985 London riots. The police said that someone knew who was responsible for the murder, but was afraid to come forward.

Today we are regularly contacted by people who are vulnerable, scared, or afraid of the consequences of sharing what they know. We are, and always have been, inclusive: we don’t judge – we’re here for everyone who needs us, anonymously.

We're proud of our history. We've listened to millions of people over the years; our international appeals have resulted in over 140,000 arrests. When people contact us, positive things happen: we create a way for people to protect their families, friends and communities, anonymously.

We care about those who contact us, and we’re dedicated to giving a voice to anyone who finds it difficult to speak out publicly. We understand that life isn’t always black and white and to help us improve our services we're committed to asking the difficult questions. What shapes someone's behaviour? Their choices? We’re still learning, but we’re determined that everyone who wants to tell us about a crime can do so easily, securely, and anonymously. Stand with us as our story continues, and let’s make communities safer together.

14 February 2025