Breaking down the barriers to reporting crime

For young people, giving information about a crime can be a difficult decision. One way you can assist is to help the young person to detach themselves from the information – it’s not about them but about the information they have.

We understand that there are many reasons why young people may not want to give information about a crime, one of the main ones we hear is young people not wanting to be called a grass or a snitch. It is important to change the narrative of crime
reporting when talking to young people. They are not being a snitch; they are helping make their community, friends and family safe. They are creating a safer place for everyone to live. When someone reports something to keep others safe, whether to a trusted adult, the police or Fearless.org, they are being an active bystander.

RESOURCES FOR PROFESSIONALS

On our website, www.Fearless.org, we have a number of resources for professionals to use in their youth setting.
You can order our posters for FREE and when we post them out to you, we also include some of our Fearless leaflets detailing the laws on knife crime and the signs to spot for County Lines. We also have our 'Running the Lines' and ‘Fearless: How it Works’ videos on our resources page, all great tools for helping you to talk to young people you are working with about crime.

BEING AN ACTIVE BYSTANDER

We can all be bystanders. Every day, events happen around us. At some point, we will notice someone at risk, either because of the behaviour of others (such as sexual harassment or bullying) or through their own behaviour (such as carrying a knife). When this happens, we will decide to do or say something, or to simply let it go.

The Bystander Approach encourages us to take action and to prevent harm. When we intervene, we show to others that the behaviour is unacceptable and that we want to see a change. If such messages are constantly reinforced within our community, we can shift the boundaries of what is considered acceptable and we can work together to reduce crime and to make our community safer.

Becoming an active bystander is not easy. We might feel embarrassed to say something in public, we might fear repercussions or simply think that someone else will step in, and these feelings are common.

If you would like further information about Fearless you can;