Evaluating the Impact of Crimestoppers

• NCJ Number: 199299
• Author(s): Peter Gresham; Janet Stockdale; Ivon Bartholomew
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 58 pages
• Sale Source: Great Britain Home Office
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Home Office Online Report 22/03; downloaded July 24, 2003.

Annotation

This report examines the effectiveness of the Crimestoppers program in the United Kingdom.

Abstract

Since 1988, Crimestoppers has operated in the United Kingdom and now covers the entire 29 regions of the country. Crimestoppers provides free, anonymous telephone access to Crimestoppers units. Callers are offered cash rewards for information that will help police in the detection and prevention of crime. The objectives of the current evaluation were to identify the types of information gleaned from callers and Crimestoppers overall effectiveness in assisting with the detection, investigation, and prosecution of crimes. Data includes interviews with members of The Crimestoppers Trust and board members at the national and regional levels. Interviews were also conducted with 12 police officers in the Crimestoppers unit, 39 intelligence officers and detectives, 7 senior officers, and representatives of ACPO and the National Criminal Intelligence Service. Other data were gleaned from workplace observations, call tracking of calls to three Crimestoppers units, and document analysis. Results of the evaluation revealed there is a hierarchy of effectiveness of the calls to Crimestoppers: some callers hang up before engaging Crimestoppers, others receive an answering machine message, while others reach an officer. Of the answered calls, some are actionable and others are not. In 2000, there were 56,555 actionable calls to Crimestoppers, revealing an increase each year since 1998. The number of successful outcomes from calls has also increased since 1998, with 5,423 successful outcomes in 2000. Actionable calls provided a suspect name in 72 percent of cases, 85 percent provided a crime location, and 17 percent resulted in an arrest. Regional fluctuations in call performance may be accounted for by variations in numbers of staff and resources, the way in which calls are logged, opening hours, and publicity. In conclusion, the evaluation revealed that Crimestoppers plays a significant, if small, role in the fight against crime in the United Kingdom. Tables, references