Young people are being urged to help fight criminal activity by getting in touch with their local Crimestoppers charity.
The organisation is independent from the police, providing complete anonymity for anyone wishing to report an incident and North West Regional Manager of Crimestoppers, Gary Murray, wants to raise awareness for the charity.
He told JMU Journalism: “A third of all students will be victims of crime, mainly burglary, robbery or violent crime. More crime takes place affecting students in our larger cities, with London recording the highest rate of crime.
“Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Nottingham and Birmingham would also have a higher rate of crime against students than those universities based in smaller towns or rural areas.”
Mr Murray believes student housing with poor security, plus students walking alone late at night or using mobile phones are particularly vulnerable.
He said: “Students are also aware of those who are committing crimes or witness crime and I would encourage them to contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously and help keep our cities and the student community safer.”
Local radio presenter, Pete Price, is on the board of governors for the charity’s involvement in and around Merseyside. The Radio City talk show host told JMU Journalism that Liverpool is “as safe a city as any”.
He said: “Our police chief will tell you that our crime figures are fantastic. We’ve got them right down. If you ring Crimestoppers, what you’re doing is giving information that will fit into the jigsaw and maybe a case will already be building up against them.
“It’s completely anonymous, the information will never be given out to anybody. It’s passed over with no information about you at all. So it’s important for all young people and older people to use Crimestoppers and help to try and fight crime. It’s a fantastic organisation and worth looking into.”
Recent figures from ‘UK Crime Stats’ reveal that between December 2013 and November 2014, there were just over 54,000 reported cases of anti-social behaviour in Merseyside. There was also just shy of 17,000 reported cases of violent crimes in the area.
Both of these crimes are the two most frequent in Merseyside, with robbery, bike theft and theft from the person being the least common.