This is Grimsby --BROWN envelopes containing thousands of pounds have been given to people anonymously in the fight against crime in North East Lincolnshire.
The cash rewards have been handed over by Crimestoppers to the sources of information, who have led to the conviction of crooks committing crimes in our area.
But the rewards are only 0.5 per cent of all the information received by Crimestoppers; most people provide the identities or locations of suspects for free because they want to rid the streets of criminals.
In Humberside, the number of calls giving information about crimes has gone up by 48 per cent in two years. That has been in response to campaigns promoting the confidential phone line.
In real terms, more than 1,200 pieces of information were passed to Humberside Police, between April last year and March this year.
And officials said there was a 5 per cent increase in actionable information passed on to law enforcement agencies nationally.
The statistics have been released as Crimestoppers, a registered charity, celebrates 25 years of crime fighting.
Distinctive posters have recently been placed on the tolls at the Humber Bridge inviting people to call the free phone number if they have information of criminal activity.
Gemma Wilson, the organisation's Yorkshire and Humber regional manager, said: "These encouraging regional results mirror the national picture.
"It is a further indication of the public's trust in the charity, the value of our guarantee of anonymity and their wish to support us in helping make their communities safer.
"To have results like this in Crimestoppers' 25th year is a really positive result for Humberside and I am delighted for the charity and the local community.
"However, I like to view this as progress rather than success, as our staff and volunteers in the area will continue to work hard and engage with the local public to ensure we are tackling the crimes affecting them."
The majority of calls received by Crimestoppers are in relation to drugs offences.
This year, there were more than 7,000 arrests and charges brought nationally – bringing the total since 1988 to more than 122,000 arrests and charges.
A total of £65 million worth of drugs were also seized during the year, bringing the total amount over 25 years to £297 million.
The chairman of Humberside Crimestoppers, Frank Duffield said: "We have had a fantastic response from the public.
"The committee for Humberside is so active. It is vital to have a committee which can engage."
Campaigns, such as the anti-drink driving initiative at Christmas and New Year, were backed by Crimestoppers and proved successful in bringing down convictions.
Mr Duffield said: "We also helped raise the profile of metal thefts and that has had an impact."
He said the launch of Operation Yali in Immingham last year to curb smuggling of goods and people had also been successful.
"Officers are regularly making seizures finding tobacco and people," he explained.
"We have found those who give us information often wait until they are in Europe before making the calls to us. But all calls are screened five times by going to call centres in the US and Canada and elsewhere before coming in to the centre at Surrey.
"That way people are ensured 100 per cent anonymity and callers are never asked who or where they are.
"If they volunteer that information inadvertently it is taken out of the call. None of the calls are recorded and there are never any notes taken and there is never a record of the telephone number and it is impossible to hack.
"That way people can be assured of the confidentiality.
"They can claim a reward and they do that by nominating a bank and they can collect it in a brown envelope left at the bank and no one knows who or where.
"That is only a fraction of the information because more than 99 per cent of people just want to do good and make their community safer."
He said the regular amount given is £1,000 but in high-profile cases it can be £5,000 or in exceptional cases £15,000.
Mr Duffield took the opportunity to call for a business representative for the South Bank to join the board of Humberside Crimestoppers and attend four meetings a year.
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