nottspoliceA crime fighting scheme is expanding in Africa thanks to the support of Nottinghamshire Police’s Sarah Smithurst.
Sarah, who is responsible for co-ordinating information passed to Nottinghamshire Police through the Crimestoppers charity, has helped to set up a similar scheme in Ghana.
She was first contacted by police there after they heard about the success of Crimestoppers and decided a similar approach could help their fight against organised crime, particularly the drugs and firearms trades.
In August 2009, the first Crimefighters project was launched in Accra, the country’s capital, with Sarah’s help and support.
It works along similar lines to Crimestoppers, although the scheme is not independently run as it is in Britain, with calls handled by the Ghanaian police. It still allows for rewards to be paid for information which leads to the conviction of criminals.
On Monday (February 14), Sarah will arrive in Ghana to oversee the introduction of the second Crimefighters scheme in Takoradi, the capital of the country’s western region.
She said: “I’m hoping this will be just the beginning of the growth of Crimefighters across Ghana and potentially other African countries.
“The original scheme is really proving its worth, with arrests being made as a result of information coming in about all sorts of crimes, but mainly drugs and firearms.
“Businesses in Ghana have given their backing to the project and we have relied on their goodwill and support to really get it off the ground and get the message out there.”
Sarah’s fortnight working in Ghana has been timed to coincide with the arrival of a huge container full of donations from people in Britain to help the Ghanaian Police Service and schools and orphanages in the Accra area.
This will be the second container of donations that Sarah has arranged to be transported there since she first visited the country in 2009.
She said: “On my first visit, I was there to support the police in working out how we could set up Crimefighters. While I was working with them, I saw how in need of the equipment and basic protective items that our officers are automatically given in this country.
“They had no stab vests or high visibility clothing and are working in extremely challenging conditions, with little or no protection. Although their uniforms are very smart and they take a lot of pride in their professional appearance, basic protective equipment is not available to them.
“I also wanted to see the real Ghana and went to visit schools and orphanages near the police headquarters. What I saw broke my heart and it made me realise how much we take for granted in this country. I knew I needed to do something to help.”
When she arrived back in England, Sarah enlisted the help of National Police Aid Convoys, a charity started in 1993 by police officers in Nottinghamshire and continues to procure and deliver humanitarian aid across the globe.
With the help of their dedicated band of volunteers, they helped her organise the packing and transportation of the first container to Ghana in August 2009 as well as the one that will arrive there next week.
Sarah appealed to people across Nottinghamshire to donate whatever they could. She said: “I continue to be amazed at the generosity of people who have supported our work. Schoolchildren donated shoeboxes filled with toys and letters and photographs for their counterparts in Ghana.
“Couples who have no children of their own went out and bought nappies for the orphans. Six police forces donated surplus or decommissioned equipment, including batons, riot shields and high-visibility jackets. Local businesses, schools and hospitals also donated equipment which will change many many lives for the better.”
To get an idea of the scale of the Nottinghamshire public’s generosity, this container, measures 40ft by 9ft by 7ft, weighs 8 tons, will take six hours to unload and there is not a spare inch of space on board.
Sarah, who was made an honorary Superintendent in the Ghanaian Police to thank her for her support for Crimefighters, said: “I can only thank the people who have helped so much to make this dream of mine a reality. It is worth all the effort when you see the smiles on the faces of the people we are helping and you know that we are really making a difference.”
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