Kettering community urged to report crime anonymously
Crimestoppers campaign for the Highfield area comes as the charity say summer is a peak for anti-social behaviour.
Police and Crimestoppers are encouraging people in Kettering to anonymously report anti-social behaviour.
Officers will patrol along with a social media campaign, focusing on the Highfield area to make them aware of issues like County Lines.
Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands regional manager for Crime Stoppers.
"County lines is rife across the UK, not just Northampton, not just Kettering. And it can bring some real misery to those young people that have got caught up. And not really have a full understanding of what they've got themselves involved in."
She says behaviour to watch out for:
"Maybe they start coming home with new clothes with new gifts, new phones, with money and you haven't given them any money.
"New new trainers and maybe they start hanging around with other people and start talking about other people and using different language, but also a behaviour change. So some of those young people, all those vulnerable people, are being groomed, are being asked to do unpleasant things. They'll start to become secretive, they'll start to become fearful they'll start to become anxious, and they might even be angry, angry at you."
She tells us there is a peak in anti-social behaviour during summer, often due to people having less to do, and money being tight:
"We are raising awareness of different crimes that are likely to increase over the summer holidays when people are at home more and are perhaps looking for something to do. So things like antisocial behaviour.
"Whether that be like graffiti, whether it be shoplifting, whether it be intimidation and fear through groups of people, or whether it even be off roading and using E scooters and E bikes without helmets, without insurance, and actually putting themselves at risk just as much as anybody else.
She also says it's so important that people are able to report crime anonymously:
"Some people are fearful, that if they are caught talking to the police that they're going to get repercussions, they're going to be labelled a grass or a snitch. In actual fact, what they're doing is looking after the people that they care about because they know somebody's doing wrong."
You can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.