It is this motto that has seen Lancashire Crimestoppers help police tackle more than 500 crimes in the county in the last year, from murders to drug dealing.

The county arm of the independent crime-busting charity has received 2,779 calls in the last year – which has led to 553 people being charged.

It marks a record 12 months for the 20 volunteers who man the Lancashire branch.

Kay Armstrong, Crimestoppers co-ordinator for Lancashire Police, explains: "These calls have helped us recover £295,547 of stolen property and £66,160 of drugs. The impact of just one call could be significant.

"In Lancashire more than half of calls are about drug crime.

"But interestingly the other issue that really gets people annoyed is vehicle crime – drink driving or driving without insurance. People report these offenders to us because it gets their goat. They have to pay for it through higher premiums. A quarter of our calls are about vehicle crime."

Latest figures for the charity have also shown more serious crimes are climbing people's agendas – with calls about firearms increasing from two in a usual month to four in February and eight in March.

Three people have been charged with firearms offences as a result of Crimestoppers calls in the last year.

Read the rest of this feature in Tuesday night's Lancashire Evening Post

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