Rewards for tip offs to Crimestoppers

26 May 2010, 06:00

People living on the Lakes Estate or in Netherfield are being encouraged to hand over information about criminals in their area to Crimestoppers.

More than 3,000 homes in the two areas are being given a postcard reminding them that any tip offs they give to the charity are totally anonymous and could lead to a cash reward.

The money's given out if the details handed over result in a person being arrested and charged.

Crimestoppers says the process of claiming the reward is anonymous because it's done using a code word. Calls from all phone lines are routed through a secure system, which means no numbers are ever recorded. Or people can choose to give the information through an online form on the Crimestoppers website.

John Gaman - the chairman of Thames Valley Crimestoppers - told Heart why the Lakes Estate and Netherfield are being targetted for the re-launch.

"Those areas were selected by the police and the local authorities in Milton Keynes as areas that are currently very vulnerable to a variety of crimes. Most of the offenders who commit these crimes tend to live relatively local in those neighbourhoods.

"We feel that there are people living in those neighbourhoods who know who these criminals are and for a variety of reasons don't want to speak to the police, but would be willing to give the sort of information we require, which we could then pass on to the police totally anonymously."

Although it's just the Lakes Estate and Netherfield which are being given the postcards, people across Milton Keynes are eligible for a reward.

If you have any information about criminals or crime, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you tell them you're interested in a reward you'll be given a unique code so you can claim the money if the information leads to an arrest and charge.