On a day like today, it is hard to write an article about something other than the U.S. presidential election. Well, Obama won, and it is only left to be seen how much of the change he promised he will be able to deliver. One can only hope. Still, my article today has nothing to do with that, so please forgive the somewhat irrelevant introduction!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about a program in the U.K. called 'Text a Cop' which allows students in schools to text cops directly about suspicious incidents and possible crimes.

Today, I came across a similar news article from the Mobile Marketing Magazine, about Crimestoppers, the U.K. crime-fighting charity, who have now announced they are running a similar campaign, encouraging young people to report knife crime incidents via text messaging.

From the article:

The Tower Hamlets pilot scheme was highly successful and yielded useful information for local police officers. It is hoped that this extension across London will further help combat knife crime in the capital. During the roll-out phase, Crimestoppers will initially be working proactively in the 15 London boroughs most affected by knife crime, promoting the service through workshops and talks.

The service was developed in conjunction with Anderson Software who provided the specialised, secure, software that ensures that pupils remain anonymous when sending information to the police via text. A similar scheme supported by mBlox is also being rolled out in 32 cities in the US and 16 cities in Canada.

“Mobile phones play a fundamental role in the lives of young people today,” says mBlox Chairman, Andrew Bud. “This project recognised that engaging students in their preferred medium will help encourage them to pass on information about knife crime in a quick and easy way. Crucially, the secure system allows them to maintain their anonymity, undeniably leading to greater usage by students and assisting Crimestoppers in its fight against knife crime.”

I know from personal experience knife crime in London is not to be taken lightly. And anything Crimestoppers do to fight it, I'll be behind it!