Crimestoppers under fire over snitch campaign targeting certificate holders

Crimestoppers campaign sparks alarm

Certificate holders across Cumbria are facing the prospect of anonymous reports after Crimestoppers launched a campaign encouraging the public to flag concerns about firearms licence holders. The 4 November appeal asks people to report worries about health issues, drug use, unsafe storage, or “worrying behaviour, such as in a domestic setting”.

Gary Murray, Crimestoppers’ North West regional manager, claimed the information could “help save a life”, while Detective Chief Inspector James Yallop urged people not to “leave it to chance, no matter what the concern is”.

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Shooting community warns of abuse

Firearms owners reacted with alarm, warning that neighbourhood disputes over parking, noise, or shared shooting permissions could now trigger police investigations. Social media quickly highlighted concerns over malicious reports from vindictive neighbours or rival shooters.

BASC condemned the move, with director of communications Christopher Graffius warning:

“Crimestoppers are inviting people to make secret accusations with a 100% guarantee that the person denounced will never know their accuser’s identity. That is wide open to abuse.”

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Campaign targets a tiny problem

Statistics suggest the campaign addresses a minimal issue. Among Cumbria’s 8,656 certificate holders – many of whom are farmers, land managers, and pest controllers – only 32 certificates were revoked in the last recorded year, representing just 0.37%.

The Scottish Association for Country Sports called the campaign “clumsy, ill-thought-out and naïve”. Fraser Lamb highlighted that historic decisions via the Firearms and Explosives Working Group deliberately avoided using Crimestoppers due to its association with criminal reporting, warning that the campaign risks undermining trust in the firearms licensing system.

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BASC demands withdrawal

BASC has called for the campaign’s immediate removal. The organisation met with the Home Office policing minister on 12 November and its chief executive has written to Crimestoppers’ CEO, Cumbria’s chief constable, the police and crime commissioner, and all local MPs.

While certificate revocations have hit record levels nationally – 542 firearm and 1,476 shotgun certificates revoked across England and Wales in the year ending March 2025 – these represent only a tiny fraction of nearly half a million holders, showing the current system already identifies unsuitable individuals.

At the time of going to press, Crimestoppers had not responded to BASC’s demand, leaving Cumbria’s certificate holders uncertain whether the charity will back down or force further escalation.