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Australians have now surrendered almost 26,000 firearms as part of the national gun amnesty which started in July.

And perhaps most surprising has been that the arsenal handed in to police has included machine guns, a homemade sub-machine gun and even a grenade.

A number of vintage weapons have also been turned in, including a luger pistol from World War I, a Smith and Wesson .455 revolver from WWII and a shotgun from the Vietnam War, as well as a Beaumont Adams revolver circa 1856, a WWI-era Lee Enfield rifle and two WWII US M1 carbines.

This is the first amnesty since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, with an average of 464 firearms being handed in every day around the country.

Australia’s National Firearms Amnesty runs until 30 September 2017, and more information can be found at www.firearmsamnesty.ag.gov.au or by calling 1800 909 826.

Picture credit: Jamie Hanson

A safer South Australia is expected to be achieved thanks to a major funding partnership announced between Crime Stoppers South Australia and Police Credit Union.

Crime Stoppers SA Chair, Ms Sharon Hanlon, said the 3-year agreement would provide much-needed funding to conduct a range of crime-fighting, awareness and prevention campaigns across the metropolitan and regional areas.

“As an independent charity, Crime Stoppers relies on support from governments, businesses and individuals to achieve our remarkable results. This funding allows us to offer rewards, conduct annual crime prevention campaigns, and help collect information that solves outstanding crimes – and we are extremely excited to join forces with Police Credit Union,” Ms Hanlon said.

“There are countless examples of where one call, one report, or one piece of information has made a huge difference. Our results are among the nation’s best, with one apprehension made for every seven actions taken, and an average of 25 crimes solved each and every week as a direct result of information provided to Crime Stoppers,” she said.

“Crime Stoppers only aligns with like-minded organisations that share our values underpinned by trust and integrity, and we are pleased to welcome Police Credit Union. We continue to appreciate our other long-term partnerships with SA Police and Channel 9 as our major media partner, and we remain very grateful for the enormous amount of support that the program has, and continues to, receive.”

Police Credit Union Chairman, Mr Alex Zimmermann, said this exciting major partnership announcement strengthens the organisation’s connection within the South Australian community, and reinforces its long-held heritage with SA Police.

“Supporting the South Australian community is nothing new to our organisation. Over the last 10 years, Police Credit Union has invested more than $3.22 million in fulfilling our corporate social responsibility objectives, We are extremely proud of our important SA Police heritage since our formation in 1970, which has enabled our member-based organisation to offer highly competitive and innovative banking services to all South Australians. The close connection that Crime Stoppers has with SA Police allows us to extend that support by helping to engage the community and encouraging people to provide information that solves – and can at times prevent – crimes,” Mr Zimmermann said.

“We want to play a part in supporting better communities by actively contributing to the educational and important safety messages delivered through Crime Stoppers,” he said.

More about Crime Stoppers SA can be found at https://crimestopperssa.com.au

More about Police Credit Union can be found at www.policecu.com.au

Police Credit Union

Formed in 1970, Police Credit Union is proudly South Australian based and headquartered. Today it boasts assets exceeding $950 million and delivers better banking services to over 40000 customers.  Supporting better communities represents an intrinsic pillar of the organisation’s corporate strategy.  Its strong sense of corporate social responsibility spans initiatives both large and small, including, a long-standing partnership with the Police Association of South Australia, a foundation sponsor of SA Police Ride Like Crazy and a 21-year commitment in bringing the Credit Union Christmas Pageant to the streets of Adelaide, representing but a few examples of the organisation’s community investment. Police Credit Union has helped thousands of South Australians achieve their financial goals and dreams with competitive and high value Better Banking products and services. The multi award-winning, values-driven, Member-owned organisation boasts a market leading customer satisfaction rating of 92%, 24-7 Internet, Mobile and Phone banking and branches across SA and NT.

About Crime Stoppers SA

Crime Stoppers began in South Australia in 1996 and since then has played a critical role in encouraging people to come forward with information that helps to solve crimes, and educate on topics such as property and personal safety, vehicle theft, and cyber safety.

The program encourages people to be alert and engaged participants in their community and provides a secure way for information about illegal activity and unsolved crimes to be reported to police through a toll-free hotline and a website that guarantees anonymity with the option of a reward. Crime Stoppers SA works with police, the media and the public to solve, reduce and prevent crime.

Pictured is (L-R) Mr Phil Vincent, (Deputy Chair Crime Stoppers SA), Mr Costa Anastasiou (CEO PCU), Commissioner Grant Stevens (SAPOL), Ms Sharon Hanlon (Chair of Crime Stoppers SA), and Mr Alex Zimmermann (Chairman of PCU).

Photo credit: Mark Brake Photography

An appeal has been made to identify a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in a Melbourne bar on Saturday, 24 December 2016.

At about 1:30am, the man was walking through a crowded dance floor at a bar on Acland Street in St Kilda when he grabbed a woman from behind on the dance floor and sexually assaulted her.

He was last seen walking south-east along Acland Street at approximately 2:20am with another unknown man.

Victorian Police have released CCTV images of the two men they believe can assist with inquiries.

The first man is perceived to be Caucasian and aged between 30-50 years old, with black hair and a medium build.

The second man is believed to be aged 30-40 years old, with a slim build, and was wearing black shoes and a blue shirt with a white collar.

If you recognise either of these men or have any information about this incident, please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestopperssa.com.au to make a report online

Rewards are available and you can remain anonymous.

The National Firearms Amnesty will commence on July 1, giving Australians an opportunity to hand in unregistered and unwanted firearms and improve community safety.

This is the first nation-wide gun amnesty since 1996, and offers the chance to dispose of firearms without fear of being prosecuted.

For three months, until September 30, anyone with unwanted and unregistered firearms or firearm-related items can legally dispose of (at no cost) or register them at approved drop-off points.

Outside of the amnesty period, anyone caught with an unregistered firearm could face a fine of up to $280,000, up to 14 years in jail, and a criminal record.

During the amnesty, firearms, firearm parts and/or ammunition may be surrendered to police or participating licensed dealers.  A list of participating licensed dealers is available on the South Australian Police Firearms Branch website and on the Find a drop-off point page.

Under no circumstances should loaded firearms be taken into a public place, including a police station or licensed firearms dealer.

A State Government-funded campaign announced today will turn up the heat on drug manufacturers and dealers operating across South Australia as part of a multi-pronged attack on the methamphetamine industry in the state.

Crime Stoppers SA Chair, Ms Sharon Hanlon, said the $200,000 grant would be used to directly engage the community through a range of tactics and encourage people to anonymously report information about trafficking or manufacturing of methamphetamines, ice and other illegal drugs.

“On the back of a national initiative last year, we know that that people are aware of illegal activities in their local community, are concerned about the growing ICE problem, and are prepared to play an active role in disrupting the supply of illegal drugs,” Ms Hanlon said.

“This State Government support allows us to broaden our efforts over a much larger regional spread in tandem with a more concentrated metropolitan focus designed to target known or suspected methamphetamine manufacturers, dealers and traffickers,” she said.

“Waste water analysis has suggested a 25 percent increase in use of methamphetamine over the past year in South Australia, and has tripled over a 4-year period – which is in line with the rapid rise in drug use across the nation, and cannot be left unchallenged,” she said.

Ms Hanlon said Crime Stoppers, as the trusted, independent link between the community and police, was perfectly positioned to engage the community at a grass-roots level for information from people under the assurance of anonymity.

“This campaign is not about targeting drug users. This is about achieving meaningful reductions in drug use by identifying those who are making and selling trafficable quantities of methamphetamine in South Australia; and it’s about drug users or their friends or families having the confidence to contact Crime Stoppers to report information and disrupt this insidious supply chain,” she said.

In addition to dedicated phone-in opportunities, the campaign will see posters and postcards distributed in metropolitan and regional locations, while online-specific digital content – including culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) materials – will also be developed.”

More about Crime Stoppers SA can be found at https://crimestopperssa.com.au

Anyone with information about a crime or criminal activities can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, by visiting www.crimestopperssa.com.au or downloading the free “Report Suspicious Behaviour” app for iOS and Android phones.

About Crime Stoppers SA

Crime Stoppers began in South Australia in 1996 and since then has played a critical role in encouraging people to come forward with information that helps to solve crimes, and educate on topics such as property and personal safety, vehicle theft, and cyber safety.

The program encourages people to be alert and engaged participants in their community and provides a secure way for information about illegal activity and unsolved crimes to be reported to police through a toll-free hotline and a website that guarantees anonymity with the option of a reward. Crime Stoppers SA works with police, the media and the public to solve, reduce and prevent crime.