Monday 15th September 2014
Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and partner Openreach (a BT Group Business) are appealing for information relating to damage to the telecommunications network which resulted in areas of Newcastle Upton Tyne being left without communication services.
The incident took place in West Denton along The Roman Way, adjacent to Alston Avenue and Grace Street in the early hours of Thursday (11th September), resulting in hundreds of residents and businesses losing service.
Openreach engineers worked around the clock to restore communication services to the areas effected, in an attempt to minimise the impact on residents and businesses.
The Openreach partnership with Crimestoppers offers rewards of up to £1,000 for an arrest and conviction as a result of information passed anonymously through the charity’s 0800 555 111 number – information given to police does not qualify for a reward.
Crimestoppers and Openreach began working together in February 2011 and since then have been encouraging more people to help stop malicious damage being caused to this vital national infrastructure.
Dave Hunter, North East Regional Manager for Crimestoppers, said: “This recent incident of cables being damaged is the latest in a long line that have hit the UK, and its time it stopped.
“It’s a huge inconvenience to the people affected and is costly to the industry, so I would ask that you stand up for your community and tell us who those responsible for this crime are. You won’t have to give a statement to police or go to court, because I promise you will remain anonymous when you contact us.”
Bernie Auguste head of security for Openreach said “the theft of underground metal and cable can result in loss of vital services such as telephone and broadband connections, causing inconvenience to the general public and affecting entire communities. We need your help to identify and apprehend the people responsible”.
If you have any information on this incident please contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through our Anonymous Online Form.
ENDS
For more information on Crimestoppers the BT regional press office on 0800 085 0660.
Notes to editors
- Crimestoppers is an independent charity which helps the police to solve crimes, making communities safer. It does this by operating the 24/7 telephone number 0800 555 111 which people can ring to pass on information about crimes anonymously. They can also use our ‘giving information’ form via our website www.crimestoppers-uk.org
- Around 17 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers.
- Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 127,000 arrests and charges. Over £129 million worth of goods has been recovered and over £312 million worth of drugs has been seized.
- In 2005, Crimestoppers launched the UK’s Most Wanted on its website which allows the public to view images of criminals and pass on vital information about their whereabouts. It has been highly successful with over 2,500 arrests to date.
- Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, and Chairman of Trustees. In 1988, he launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers’ ‘call to action’ is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media.