Fearless, the youth version of Crimestoppers, has launched a programme in London schools to encourage more children to report crimes via its service. A recent survey found just a fifth of young theft or violent crime victims report it to police.
Knife crime is a major concern, as well as county line dealers who often recruit 12 to 17-year-olds to move drugs and money from one city to another. Many are threatened or beaten into “debt slavery”, forcing them to work in order to pay off a debt.
Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick says the capital’s drug trade is a key driver behind stabbings on the streets.
Fearless already has 13,858 users and has passed information to police about weapons, drugs, county lines, fraud and joyriding. Scotland Yard murder appeals now plug Fearless. Anyone aged 11 to 16 can report names of drug dealers or those with guns or blades via the Fearless website.
Secure online forms remove details such as age or gender which could identify the source.
Twenty Fearless workshops with 600 children have been held in London so far as part of the school engagement programme.
Senior outreach worker Jade, 31, has started workshops at schools in Hackney, Brent, Hammersmith, Enfield, Fulham and Haringey.
Stressing the organisation is not the police, she said: “Fearless encourages young people to give information about crime both anonymously and in a safe way.
“It’s not snitching or grassing, I explain that we all want to live in a safe city and need to look after our families.
“Fearless also provides an educational tool, giving youngsters non-judgmental facts about crime and criminality.”
Visit fearless.org or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
