Crime prevention advocate Crimestoppers is launching a new campaign aimed at giving rural communities greater confidence to speak up about suspicious or criminal activity.

The campaign, ‘Shut the gate on rural crime’, is supported by New Zealand’s leading rural insurer FMG and New Zealand Post. It will see rural households given some tools to reduce crime in the form of “It’s your call” stickers to place around their properties.

Rural communities will begin receiving the material this week.

Crimestoppers chairman John Perham – a rural resident himself – says the campaign encourages people to report suspicious activity with the confidence that their call will be totally anonymous.

“While on the whole, rural people are happy to speak directly to Police, there are some occasions when they might not feel able to because of family connections or fear about the probable consequences.

“In those situations, Crimestoppers offers a simple, effective way to do something positive to improve safety in their community without having to reveal their identity.

“Every call could potentially hold valuable information, which we provide to Police to help them put together the bigger picture of what’s going on. Whether it’s stock or machinery being stolen or sold too cheaply or odd movements of people around an isolated area, every contribution helps to fill in the gaps.”

Mr Perham says calling Crimestoppers is an easy way rural people can help detect criminals and prevent crime.

Around 35% of all calls to Crimestoppers’ free phone 0800 555111 number come from rural areas. Currently, the organisation receives around 1500 calls and secure online reports a month and this number has been steadily increasing each month since Crimestoppers started in late 2009.

General Manager of Advice & Insurance for FMG, Conrad Wilkshire, says the campaign gives people in rural communities a chance to play an active and important role in helping to create a safer rural community for everyone.

“There are lots of proactive steps farmers are already taking, such as installing security cameras and forming Neighbourhood Support groups.  The Crimestoppers campaign supports this great work, and the work being done by Police, and is another tool to help protect rural communities from the financial loss, disruption and invasion of privacy that crime causes.”

Assistant Police Commissioner Grant Nicholls says Police are backing the campaign.

“If people have information on crime or suspicious activity our preference is always for them to talk to the Police first, but if for whatever reason they don’t want to do that, we’re encouraging them to pass on what they know to Crimestoppers.”

To contact Crimestoppers anonymously, call 0800 555 111 or use the secure online form at www.crimestoppers-nz.org

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Police can now confirm that the man was in his 60s and was working a stop-go sign at a road diversion controlling traffic over a one-lane bridge on Tram Road.

The man’s body will be removed from the scene later this morning for a formal identification and a post mortem will be carried out to establish the cause of death.

Police have spent the night speaking to witnesses and making various enquiries.

From that information Police can confirm that shortly after 3pm yesterday the victim was working at the northern end of the bridge and he indicated for a vehicle to stop to enable a logging truck to cross the bridge from the opposite direction.

As the logging truck cleared the bridge the vehicle that had been stopped by the victim crossed the bridge and headed towards Tirohanga Road. The victim was then seen on the ground having been shot.

From witness information Police are interested in a 4WD style vehicle.

Detective Inspector Mark Loper said: “We appreciate that the community will be concerned by yesterday’s tragedy and will want to know what they can do. The community has a significant role to play in this investigation going forward. Every piece of information, particularly in these early hours and days could be vital; no matter how small or irrelevant that information may seem.”

Police are particularly keen for people who were in the Atiamuri area and its surrounds to think back to 2.30pm to 4pm afternoon and report to police any vehicle seen speeding or driving erratically.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Taupo Police on 07 378 6060. Alternatively information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Northland police say public information left on Crimestoppers has helped them weed out numerous cannabis plots and arrest growers and sellers in the drug world.

Crimestoppers’ guarantee of anonymity makes it easy for people who may not feel comfortable talking to police directly to pass on what they know about crimes and the illegal drug trade in the region.

Northland Detective Sergeant John Miller, who runs the annual blitz on drugs, said there had been 50 phonecalls to the line – run by an independent organisation – with excellent information on illegal drug growing in the region this summer.

As a result there had been 38 cases where police could carry out search warrants and there had been numerous arrests and cannabis plants destroyed.

The remaining 12 calls were still being investigated.

“The message is getting through and people are using the line because it’s a good set up and remains anonymous,” Mr Miller said.

“This information left on the line is being acted on and we will follow up. We want people to continue leaving great information.”

He said with indoor growing operations cannabis growers were able to operate all year round.

Harvesting would also be happening over the coming month so there would still be plenty of suspicious activity.

Frequent trips into the bush or rural areas could be a sign that visitors are tending to drug plots.

Mr Miller said details about who was involved, where they lived, what vehicles they drove and the location of the drugs were crucial pieces of information to leave on the Crimestoppers line.

Since October 2009, information from Crimestoppers had been responsible for, or contributed to, nearly 700 charges being laid against 250 people nationally.

Northland police are still urging people to report suspicious behaviour that could be connected to illegal drug growing over the next few months.

To contact Crimestoppers, call 0800 555 111 or go to www.crimestoppers-nz.org and use the secure web form.

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On Monday 5th November 2012, 44-year-old Cissy Chen vanished from her home in Torbay on Auckland’s North Shore. Cissy left her work in Glenfield and arrived home at about 4:30pm. She was reported missing by her partner at around 9:30pm that evening.

Police upgraded their missing person investigation to a homicide investigation soon after Cissy’s disappearance. Despite extensive searches by Police, her body has not been found and no arrests have been made.

2IC of the case, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie says Police are tonight appealing for sightings of a white 2002 Nissan Pulsar station wagon in the Bays, Albany and Rosedale areas on and around the night of Monday 5th November.

“You may remember seeing this vehicle on Guy Fawkes Night on the 5th of November. Did you see it in an unusual location or driving erratically? If you did, we need to hear from you.”

“Sightings of this white 2002 Nissan Pulsar are absolutely crucial to our ongoing investigation.”

Acting D/S/S Goldie says Police believe Cissy’s body has been buried in a secluded location, such as a green belt or bush reserve.

“I want to urge people walking, cycling and exercising in secluded bush areas around the North Shore and wider Waitemata District to be aware of anything or any area that appears suspicious and may be of interest to the team investigating Cissy’s death.”

Megan Goldie says Police want to bring this investigation to a close, with the help of the public.

“As is often the case in many Police investigations, it will be the public that provides the vital information we need to solve this and bring the offender or offenders to justice.”

Anyone with any information about Cissy’s disappearance, particularly anyone who remembers seeing the white 2002 Nissan Pulsar on Guy Fawkes Night should phone North Shore Police on 0800 CISSY (0800 24779) or via the Police Ten-7 phone number on 0800 107 4636.

The post New lead in Cissy Chen homicide investigation appeared first on Crimestoppers New Zealand.

Detective Sergeant Glenn Tinsley said with Operation Olive, the investigation into the murder of Jordan Voudouris, now into its eighth month, the enquiry team still believe that someone could hold information that can solve this mystery.

As such today, the Police Commissioner authorised that a reward of up to $50,000 will be paid for material information or evidence, which leads to the identity and conviction of any person or persons responsible for the death of Mr Voudouris.

In addition

Immunity from prosecution will be considered for any accomplice – not being a principal offender responsible for his death – who shall first give such information or evidence.

“While Police did not often offer rewards we believe a reward may be just the incentive needed to get someone to come forward who hasn’t already spoken to investigators.

“Often in cases such as this people’s loyalties change as time goes on and we urge anyone who may have information not made available to us earlier to come forward now. Similarly there may be someone with information who has held back hoping the murder would be solved without them having to get involved.”

Mr Tinsley said it is important for both Mr Voudouris’ family and for the wider Paeroa community that anyone with information comes forward.

“The Commissioner of Police will determine the amount of the reward and will, if necessary, apportion payment where there is more than one claimant and the reward offer shall remain in force until 01 July 2013.

“The bottom line is that if you know something, we need to hear from you.”

Paeroa businessman Jordan Voudouris, 55, was killed in the early hours of Monday 18 June 2012 with his body being found behind his premises, Mykonos Pizza and Pasta Restaurant in Belmont Rd.

“A post-mortem determined Mr Voudouris had been fatally shot.

Anyone with any information on the identity of the offender or offenders or other information that could assist is asked to contact the Operation Olive enquiry team on 0508 Paeroa (723 762) or their nearest police station or call crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

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Detective Inspector Dave Lynch of Counties-Manukau Police says that Police are now treating Shalvin’s death as a Homicide; “based upon what we now know about Shalvin coupled with the fact his vehicle and some personal possessions are still missing it is believed that another person or persons are involved in his disappearance and death”.

Police do not believe this was a random event and the reasons for Shalvin being targeted are an area of focus for the investigation team.

Police were able to forensically identify Shelvin and his family were advised on Friday evening. They are being supported by Family, Friends, Police and Victim Support.

A key focus for the investigation team is locating the vehicle that Shelvin was last seen in when he left home at approximately 8.30pm on Wednesday night 30 January 2013.

The vehicle is described as a 1994 Toyota RAV4. The vehicle is mostly blue but has a faded black [giving the appearance of grey] colour around the base. The actual vehicle is shown front on in the attached photograph and a photo of a similar vehicle is also attached for a side on view.

The vehicle was in good condition. Police are appealing to members of the public for any sightings of this vehicle from 8.30 pm on Wednesday Night 30 January 2013. Police would also like to hear from any members of the automobile industry who have bought such a vehicle or were asked to dispose of such a vehicle within this timeframe.

A photograph of Shelvin is also attached and Police would like to hear from anyone who saw or had any contact with him in the week leading up to his disappearance and certainly anyone who saw or had contact with him from 8.30pm on Wednesday night 30 January 2013 until his body was located at 0630 on Thursday Morning.

Area Enquires completed by Police have also established that two vehicles left McRobbie Road at high speed on Thursday morning at approximately 6.30am just prior to the arrival of the first Police vehicle. Both vehicles carried on straight through the intersection into Kingseat Road travelling in the Pukekohe direction.

One vehicle was described as Blue/Silver in colour and the other was white.

Police are urging the drivers of these vehicles to come forward to be eliminated from the investigation. “This is a remote location and both drivers will be well aware that their vehicles will be of interest to the investigation. The longer they wait to come forward will increase the level of interest Police have in them and we urge them to contact us as soon as possible.”

Any information can be given to Police on 09 295 0311 or to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Earlier this year a report released from the Office of the Auditor-General revealed that almost a third of people working in local government were aware of colleagues having committed fraud. While inside business New Zealand’s fraudsters lifted their annual take by $79 million to $279 million in the second half of last year, according to global accounting firm KPMG’s fraud barometer.

Fraud, theft, illegal use of company property and non-compliance to health and safety requirements are just some of criminal activities a whistle blowing line should target. Yet it’s little understood here that this is the legal obligation for employers to provide safe whistle blowing lines for staff, and most don’t.

International research into workplace crime tells us fraud is much more likely to be detected by ‘tips’ than by any other method. But how easy is it for people on average to pass on their tips whilst remaining anonymous?

Well now there is. Integrity Line, under the Crimestoppers brand, is being offered as a whistle blowing line to New Zealand employers. It’s a 24/7 professionally staffed, anonymous call line that businesses can offer their staff. And then nominate who receives the reports, their own risk teams, their auditors or another third party. Any surplus funds raised by offering business individual crime reporting line services – will go towards funding the charity’s service to all Kiwis under the Crimestoppers brand. A real social enterprise.

“This is simply good governance. Offering Integrity line to your staff says you mean what you say about keeping your work place safe, and you’re supporting a much-needed charity, “ said John Perham Chairman Crimestoppers NZ.

References:

Protected Disclosures Act 2000 and AMLCFT and FTRA Acts 2012 Report to the Nations on Occupational fraud and abuse, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Fairfax June 2012

END

For more information please contact Jude Mannion CEO Crimestoppers

Tel: 09 912 3555 / 022 434 4644

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The campaign ran from July to October 2012 and featured radio, newspaper and online advertising.

It encouraged people to tell Crimestoppers what they knew about the trade in stolen property.

Increasing the number of calls to Crimestoppers about the activities of burglars, shoplifters, people involved in vehicle crime and receivers helps police disrupt the stolen property trade.

Read our news release.

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