University supports Crimestoppers campaign

Buckinghamshire New University is supporting a new partnership between Wycombe Wanderers Football Club and the independent charity, Crimestoppers.

Using promotional opportunities at the Club, the Crimestoppers message will be publicised to spectators, players and the local community. The purpose of the partnership is to demonstrate the Club’s commitment to helping reduce crime in High Wycombe so making the town safer for supporters and their families.

The partnership was formally launched at an event on Monday 30 November at the Club’s Adams Park ground. Thames Valley Crimestoppers chairman John Gamon said: “Crimestoppers is a simple and easy facility that enables anyone with information about crime to pass on what they know anonymously and without fear of reprisal. It is a very successful scheme with an average of 350 people phoning the national call centre each day. This leads to the arrest and charge of around 20 people daily across the UK. 

"To get the message across that Crimestoppers is available to everyone is a huge task and only possible with the support of the media, businesses and organisations such as Wycombe Wanderers. As a charity we have to raise all the money needed to make the scheme work, so this partnership is a very significant development for us and we are grateful to the Club for its generosity”.

The link with Crimestoppers complements the work of WWFC Community Trust. Explaining how this will lead to projects in the future, Dave Evans, manager of the Trust said: “One of the best ways of engaging with young people, to give them a positive outlook on life and make them valued members of the community, is through sport. Our street football scheme does just this and is especially aimed at youngsters from the more deprived areas of our town and the ethnic minority communities. With the backing of local schools, we are making plans for tournaments so that youngsters can show off their football skills. If we can pass on messages about staying safe, keeping out of trouble and reporting crime, then these young people will grow up to be responsible citizens”.

The first event of the partnership will be on Saturday 5 December to coincide with the Stockport United fixture. The emphasis will be on tackling knife crime and publicity material will be handed out to all spectators backed up with on-pitch pre-match activities. The principal message will be targeted to youngsters, via elder members of their family. It will be to promote the facility to pass on information about anyone known to carry a knife using text messaging, rather than a phone call to 0800 555 111 or through the website: crimestoppers-uk.org.  If they know someone carrying a knife they can just text 88551, giving their name or nickname, the school, the year and their area or postcode.