HOORAY AT HOLYROOD
Lord Ashcroft, the man who brought Crimestoppers to the UK, got his reward from grateful Scots at a prestigious ceremony attended by more than 200 VIPs, including First Minister Jack McConnell, at Holyrood on May 17.
In his own words it had been ‘ a long day but most worthwhile’ observed the globe-trotting philanthropist who had made a supreme effort by flying 3,000 miles from Jordan to receive an accolade on behalf of the Board of Crimestoppers Scotland.
A warm reception awaited him at The Scottish Parliament from host Hugh Henry MSP, the Deputy Justice Minister as big names from the world of politics, business and the judiciary gathered in the Garden Lobby.
Crimestoppers Scotland’s ‘Associates’ Network Reception – a golden opportunity for people to learn more about the charity’s work North of the Border - provided the platform to acknowledge the contribution Lord Ashcroft had made to safer communities.
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Mr Andrew Brown, is pictured presenting Lord Ashcroft with a handsome crystal vase on mahogany plinth which he said would be given pride of place in his boardroom.
A battery of photographers took a flurry of shots to capture the moment. Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson, deputy Hugh Henry MSP, fellow MSPs and Stewart McCulloch, Chairman of Crimestoppers Scotland were invited to step forward and take their places beside him at the photo call.
After hearing his host Hugh Henry praise the achievements of the Scottish Board working in partnership with the police to combat crime and the success of the crackdown on drug dealers in particular, Lord Ashcroft said he thought that the meeting at Holyrood was ‘symbolic’.
He observed:”Politics can be devolved - but crime doesn’t respect borders. Neither can we.”
Last year, he said, information to 0800 555 111 led to the arrest of over 5O people wanted for murder or attempted murder and since 1988 anonymous calls had contributed to 72,OOO arrests!
He had brought Crimestoppers to the UK in 1987 following ‘the terrible death’ of Keith Blakelock, a London police officer murdered during a riot at the Broadwater farm estate in north London.
At first there were only a few of us, said Lord Ashcroft, but today we are one of the largest, best run and well known charities in Britain. “Every week we help catch almost 100 offenders,” he added.
Last year information provided to Crimestoppers led to the arrest of over 50 people wanted for murder or attempted murder.
We all know that crime wrecks lives and blights entire communities. One of the real achievements of Crimestoppers is that we give ordinary peoples a chance to fight back; to report offenders; to see their attackers jailed.
To know that their phone call was crucial in providing the police with the information they needed to rid the streets of another gang of drug dealers. Illegal drugs with a value of over one hundred and twenty seven million pounds have been seized as a result of tip offs to Crimestoppers. Last year we received nearly 40,000 calls about illegal drugs.
“One senior policeman has told me that we are like life guards for the young and vulnerable. With your help I believe that we can achieve a great deal more to help protect young people in Scotland,” he acknowledged.
Looking surprisingly fresh after his six-hour flight, Lord Ashcroft turned the spotlight on the launch of Crimestoppers ‘Most Wanted’ web site last year and revealed that our switchboards received a phenomenal 25 million ‘hits’, making Crimestoppers one of the top visited sites in the world.
On average, he said, our ‘Most Wanted’ site receives three and a quarter million hits a month. Already 17 of England’s top most wanted offenders have been apprehended because of information provided by readers of this web site. “I am sure extending this to Scotland would be a great success.”
Crimestoppers is not just a unique charity; it also brings together police and public in new and positive ways. The success of our ‘most wanted’ campaign shows that people aren’t apathetic. They DO want to do more. Crimestoppers helps them do exactly that.
Only by everybody working together can we beat both the threat - and the fear - of crime.
We have a great team of people, said Lord Ashcroft. The support of the police has been invaluable and thanks to the public-spirited generosity of our supporters we have been able to achieve far more than I ever thought possible when we began.
Over the next few months we want to pioneer some exciting new ideas, again using the internet to involve far more young people in our work. It is often forgotten that businesses and young people are the main victims of crime. Businesses can improve their security. But many young people cannot.
Developing new ways for them to report serious crimes to the police is one of our priorities for the next twelve months.
“Looking back at what we have achieved already, I think we can do it. With the help of Scottish Crimestoppers, under its chairman, Stewart McCulloch, I know that we can,” he concluded.
Haste ye back. |
