Campaigns

In today’s online world it’s important for parents and caregivers to recognise that when a child is given an electronic device or allowed to use a computer, mobile phone or tablet, they are being given opportunity to navigate the internet on their own terms.

That sense of digital freedom makes it very easy for children to create their own social media accounts and visit gaming platforms – sometimes without parents’ permission or knowledge.

Because online platforms or chatrooms don’t ask for any formal or legitimate identification it means anyone can join and create a profile – even if it is fake.

Fake profiles and accounts are usually created by those who want to exploit individuals – including children – online for personal or financial gain. It is these predators that exploit the fact that children and young people often use the internet as a meeting place to chat and game with friends they know and friends they don’t.

It is these ‘don’t’ friends that often pretend about who they are to meet and exploit young people into criminal acts, such as sending sexually explicit images and images of themselves online.

That’s why we want parents and caregivers to know how they can keep their children safe online and children to know how to navigate the internet carefully. That includes changing privacy settings on your kids’ devices to limit the opportunity for a sexual predator to contact your child and how to recognise the warning signs of unwanted contact.

Child sexual abuse material can be reported anonymously to the eSafety Commissioner at www.esafety.gov.au/reportillegalcontent

If you know or suspect someone is producing, downloading or sharing child sexual abuse material you can make a confidential report to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

“She had shoulder-length blonde hair, was wearing a green shirt and the person she was with called her Angela.

He was tall with a dark beard and a shaved head.

It was an orange car that had roof racks, a broken left tail light and a loud muffler.”

Each of these seemingly innocuous observations could be the missing piece of a puzzle needed to solve a violent robbery, home invasion, theft, drug dealing, assault, even murder.

As we all go about our daily lives, it’s a reality that criminals are lurking somewhere nearby. They could be a neighbour, work colleague, member of a local sporting group, the person on the bus or tram during a daily commute, even a direct associate – and their illicit activities can erode community confidence and make us feel unsafe in our home, workplace, at a local shopping centre or on public transport.

That’s why it’s important to keep our eyes open, report what we know and hold criminals to account. When it comes to the success of the Crime Stoppers program, it’s very much a matter of quality over quantity when it comes to the information it receives.

Most of us played I-Spy as a kid. Picking out that green tree, red car or brown house taught us how to be more observant of our surroundings. But as we get older and our lives become busier, it’s easy to let those observation skills become rusty.

How many times have we watched the evening news to hear neighbours say they are shocked at the discovery of a drug lab right next door, an arsenal of weapons uncovered somewhere in the street, or the arrest of someone for a serious crime who lived nearby? Chances are they missed the warning signs.

To encourage us all to be alert participants in a safer community, Crime Stoppers has launched its Eye Spy campaign, and provides some useful prompters about the sort of information that is worth sharing with Australia’s most recognised and pre-eminent information reporting service.

You don’t have to say who you are, just share what you know. And the more you know, the greater the value of the information is that you provide. That’s why it’s worthwhile to make a note about:

• What happened, when & where
• Male or female
• Hair colour, length and type
• Estimated height and age
• Athletic, skinny, or obese build
• Skin complexion – type or colour – and eye colour
• Facial hair – beard, moustache, goatee
• Tattoos, piercings
• Accent, sound of voice or language
• Clothing – headwear, footwear, glasses, clothing description, bag, hat, etc.
• Vehicle registration, make & colour
• Distinctive features, roof racks, unusual stickers, vehicle damage
• Photo, video or dashcam footage of incident

When you contact Crime Stoppers you don’t have to provide concrete evidence of a crime. Even if something just doesn’t feel quite right, or there are possible warning signs that criminal activity is happening – like cars coming and going at odd hours – is enough to reach out and share what you know.

Information provided by the community to Crime Stoppers has helped to solve more than 32,500 crimes and seen more than 21,000+ people apprehended since the program first began in SA. In fact, an average of 25 crimes are solved each and every week as a direct result of information from the community, with one apprehension made for every seven contacts made.

So, don’t let crime happen on your watch. If you see something, then say something.

If you think something seems suss, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

Whether it is supporting a national firearms amnesty or a SA-specific campaign designed to get guns off the street, Crime Stoppers SA regularly encourages people with information about illegal or unregistered guns to make contact and pass on whatever they know.

In 2017, information provided by the community directly resulted in the seizure of 79 firearms in South Australia – as well as an arsenal of ammunition and illegal accessories such as silencers, crossbows, tasers and more.

If you have any information then call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

Results from Crime Stoppers’ recent Dob in a Dealer campaign are expected to disrupt the nation’s illegal drugs market for some time thanks to more than 47,000 Information Reports received from concerned people in the community.

The Dob in a Dealer campaign, which ran from September 2018 until April 2019, encouraged people to anonymously provide information about anyone making, growing or selling drugs; with plenty taking advantage of the opportunity to share what they know.

Crime Stoppers Australia Deputy Chair and Chair of Crime Stoppers South Australia, Ms Sharon Hanlon said: “It’s fair to say that if you operate in the illegal drugs trade then you should start looking over your shoulder, because we experienced a staggering 65% increase in the number of drug-specific Information Reports received during the Dob in a Dealer campaign. The valuable information provided to Crime Stoppers is expected to provide police with strong lines of enquiry in relation to drug manufacturing labs, illegal importation activities and drug dealing syndicates active in metropolitan, regional and rural locations right across the country.”

“On the back of the recent release of the latest wastewater drug monitoring results by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, it is imperative to do everything possible to ensure ongoing disruption to the illegal drug trade. The average consumption of MDMA in capital city and regional sites, and the average heroin consumption in capital city sites is now at the highest levels ever recorded,” Ms Hanlon said.

“We know people are increasingly concerned about the level of drug use amongst their families, friends and work mates. That’s why we held more than 81 community-based events during the Dob in a Dealer campaign to directly engage people at a grass-roots level to explain the dangers of drugs and encourage them to share information with Crime Stoppers,” she said.

“Drug dealers are often hiding in plain sight within the community and are able to conduct their illicit trade unchallenged because people are often too scared to speak out for fear of retaliation. Crime Stoppers provides a solution where they can share what they know anonymously, and the Dob in a Dealer campaign drove home that message.”

Information from the community had already sparked police raids and investigations across Australia, resulting in quantities of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals being seized, including Fantasy, Amphetamine, GHB, and Cannabis.

“It’s also common for weapons to be seized from drug dealing criminals during raids, as well as stolen property and large quantities of cash from the proceeds of drug deals. And while every piece of information can make a real difference, it’s important to understand that information provided to police via Crime Stoppers may achieve an immediate result or can also form part of longer-term investigations,” Ms Hanlon said.

“Crime Stoppers South Australia was pleased to play an active part in this national success, with our local activities generating more than 1700 Information Reports,” she said.

In addition to extensive social and traditional media activity, the Dob in a Dealer campaign also featured a strong multi-cultural presence to directly engage a wider cross-section of the community.

Highlights from the Dob in a Dealer national campaign include:

• Receiving a total of 47,277 drug-related Information Reports across all Crime Stoppers programs during the campaign.
• The delivery of 81 Local Area Campaigns in metropolitan, regional and rural Australia;
• Generating 2,293 drug-related Information Reports from these localised collaborations;
• Achieving an aggregated average increase of 65% in Information Reports in the immediate weeks following local area campaigns;
• Engaging 110 new organisations to actively support the campaign, with many being community-based, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Disability organisations;
• Generating awareness of Dob in a Dealer in the general public – with an estimated 93,395,339 people engaged through more than 1800 media features.
• Achieving a social media audience reach of 1,939,072 people, with more than 101,000 likes, comments and shares.

“Our thanks go to the community for their trust in sharing what they know, Police for acting on information received and for the Federal Government’s significant funding which helped make the Dob in a Dealer campaign possible,” Ms Hanlon said.

“While the Dob in a Dealer campaign has now finished, our focus on helping to stop drug makers and dealers continues. That’s why we urge the community to come forward and report any information about criminals or criminal activity to Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000 or making a report at crimestoppers.com.au”

OPERATION ROAM

Operation Roam is an annual national campaign coordinated by Crime Stoppers, in partnership with police services across the country.

The campaign is designed to raise community awareness about fugitives who are actively evading police, and encourages people to visit www.crimestoppers.com.au to make themselves aware of the people being targeted.

Any information about these offenders should be reported to Crime Stoppers.

Targets are responsible for a range of offences, including murder and armed robbery, and could be working in your community. It might be a new person you’ve noticed in your area or a more familiar face such as a neighbour, work colleague, friend or even a family member.

Every piece of information is important, so if anyone knows their whereabouts, they are urged to make an anonymous call to 1800 333 000 or to go online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au.

• If you see any of the fugitives, call 000 immediately
• If you have information on their whereabouts, you can make an anonymous call to 1800 333 000 or you can make an online report via crimestopperssa.com.au
• Rewards are available if information leads to the arrest of a wanted person

Since 2005, South Australia has had on average 22 murders a year, with a low of 12 in 2007 and as many as 29 in 2011. About 33% of murders are committed within the criminal community and are generally either linked to gangs or drug trafficking, and in most cases the victim and offender are known to each other.