The power of anonymity: An exploratory study into the role of Crimestoppers in reporting and investigating crime in England and Wales

The UK charity Crimestoppers supports the police by taking and passing on information about crime. However, its service has been subject to little examination. This paper explores how Crimestoppers acts as an enabler to reporting crime and assists the police in solving crime. A small-scale qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews, was conducted with participants drawn from Crimestoppers’ contact centre and two Welsh police forces. Following a thematic analysis, the overarching finding submits that ‘anonymity’ is the golden thread which preserves Crimestoppers existence. The charity has a strong relationship with the police and exists in a network of plural policing.