Local chairman Peter Shirreffs said the organisation is ‘at a crossroads’ and if new fundraising plans and a headline corporate sponsor cannot be found ‘there may be no point in carrying on’.
It costs about £15,000 a year to run locally.
‘People don’t realise we are a charity. They think we are part of the police or funded by them – we are not. We are totally independent and all our funding comes privately from sponsorship,’ he added.
‘But we do assist the police. We are that link to minority communities – the Polish or Portuguese – who may not want to talk to the police.
‘There is so much crime in Jersey that goes underreported.’
Mr Shirreffs singled out domestic abuse and drug crime as some of most prevalent but unreported crimes on the Island. He said by promoting Crimestoppers 0800 555111 number and ‘ingraining’ in Islanders’ minds the fact that any information they give will be in complete confidence, it could lead to the reported crime rate increasing and thus prosecutions too.
Figures show that 14% of all recorded crimes in Jersey relate to domestic abuse and the force responds to an average of 1,000 incidents a year – about 20 a week. In many cases, victims are reluctant to give statements but new laws introduced
last year could help tackle that.
Crimestoppers Jersey is due to launch a new Golden Handcuffs fundraising initiative – backed by crime novelist Peter James. The charity is looking for ten to 12 businesses to sign up to the ‘exclusive club’ and pay between £250 and £1,000 a year. The fee will give them access to bi-annual networking lunches with the States police chief Robin Smith and others, invitations to Mr James’ book launches, a membership plaque and use of the Crimestoppers logo among other things.
Mr Shirreffs said: ‘I would say that the charity in Jersey is at a crossroads. If we don’t get the headline sponsor we need and Golden Handcuffs does not work the future of Crimestoppers in Jersey will be in question or at risk and that would be a huge loss for Jersey.’
Total reported calls to Crimestoppers Jersey last year was 202 – up 50% on previous year. Of those, 144 were classed as ‘actionable reports’ – those deemed by the police to have potential value and there were ‘44 positive outcomes’. Domestic abuse (55) was the most reported crime via Crimestoppers followed by drug trafficking (49) and then sexual offences (8).
Mr Shireffs said his goal is to hit the 300-call mark.
‘We need a headline sponsor too. It’ll cost about £6,000 a year. I want the Crimestoppers number to be everywhere; on the radio, TV, posters. We are getting it printed on two of the police cars,’ he said.
