What is Fearless?
Fearless is the youth brand that introduces young people to the service provided by Crimestoppers. It consists mainly of the website, fearless.org, where young people can get information and give information about crime anonymously.
Why is it needed?
Unfortunately, young people suffer a disproportionately high level of crime. Many young people are afraid of going to the police or don’t trust them, leading to many crimes being unreported or unsolved. Fearless provides young people with a third response to crime that affects them, after going to the police or doing nothing.
How does it work?
We’ll make young people aware of Fearless through its relationship to Crimestoppers. The aim is to drive young people to the website, which they’ll hopefully be more comfortable than visiting the main Crimestoppers site. Once there, they can learn about crime that affects them, give information about crime using the anonymous online form or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Who is it for?
Fearless is mainly aimed at 11-16 year olds as they’re often most at risk of crime – either as victims or becoming offenders. However, this isn’t strictly enforced and people of other ages are obviously welcome to visit the site!
What’s special about it?
Fearless is the only website that allows young people to get information about crime in a straightforward way (we use videos to support the text and signpost them to specialist sites – we’re not experts on all crime types) and, most importantly, it’s the only place they can give information 100% safely and anonymously about crime if they don’t want to go to the police.
The Fearless team have direct experience of crime and working with young people. We don’t preach to our audience but we tell them how it is and let them make their own minds up, once they have all the information. We’ll also point them towards positive activities at the end of sessions to show them that they don’t have to take up crime – there are other things out there.
Why use Fearless?
Young people should use Fearless when they want clear, unbiased information about crime that affects them or when they have information about crime and don’t want to go to the police. If they use the anonymous form on fearless.org or call Crimestoppers anonymously, they could prevent further crime, bring criminals to justice and make their communities safer, all without ever revealing who they are.
When should Fearless be used?
Fearless should be used when a young person doesn’t want to go to the police. However, in an emergency, we always recommend calling 999.
Is it safe?
Yes, it’s totally safe because it’s 100% anonymous. Fearless is part of the charity Crimestoppers, which has never revealed anyone’s identity in over 22 years.
No personal details are taken, no calls or forms are traced or monitored, no one will ask why you’re contacting us and you won’t have to give a statement or appear in court.
Remember, we only need what you know, not who you are.
Is it part of the police?
No, it’s part of Crimestoppers, which is an independent charity.
What happens to the information given on the online Fearless form?
The information gets scrambled and coded, meaning it can never be traced. When we receive it, we check how useful and accurate the information is and pass it on to the police if we think it can help them.
What happens when a young person calls the 0800 555 111 number?
When you call, someone will pick up and tell you you’ve reached Crimestoppers. When they say that, you know that they won’t ask who you are or why you’re calling, they just want to know what you know.
If the police ever ask us for someone’s identity we can’t tell them because we don’t ask. Even if we did know, we wouldn’t tell them because we’re not part of the police.