Young people from Douglas Royal Ladies Football and Ballakermeen High School are helping Crimestoppers Isle of Man launch its Fearless initiative at the Strand Shopping Centre in Douglas on Saturday (Feb 5). Ballakermeen High School has supported the Crimestoppers charity with senior staff representatives serving on the board of Crimestoppers for the past 10 years. School Deputy head Annette Baker is their current Crimestoppers IoM board member. She welcomed the Fearless initiative, commenting: ‘We think it’s very important as school leaders to support the Crimestoppers charity in tackling crime and encouraging young people in the school and the wider community to act as responsible citizens in protecting each other and each other’s property. ‘We will be promoting the Fearless website in school once it’s launched. Some aspects of UK youth crime are happily not prevalent in the Isle of Man so we will tailor the Fearless message to our local community and local circumstances. Certainly we hope this initiative will engage yet more young people in combating crime and recognising their responsibility as young citizens of the Isle of Man.’ Saturday’s launch, taking place from 9am until 5pm at the Strand Shopping Centre, has been organised to introduce the Fearless brand to the Island. This new youth brand introduces young people (target age range 11-17) to the Crimestoppers concept but has been specifically designed to offer channels for younger people to report information about crimes anonymously and without fear of repercussions. Its aim is to urge young people to be Fearless against crime and particularly the reporting of it. The Fearless website – www.fearless.org – also provides education on criminal activity that might affect young people on the Isle of Man. Issues covered from a factual perspective include crimes arising from drugs and alcohol, cybercrime, bullying, theft and vandalism. The site offers games, quizzes and access to relevant “You Tube” excerpts. Stuart McCudden, Chairman of Crimestoppers IoM, said: ‘We are enormously grateful for the ongoing support of Ballakermeen High School and welcome their invaluable assistance to spread the Fearless message to the target audience. The aim is to encourage young people to recognise how they can play a part in keeping them and their friends safe and I’d encourage anyone to come along to the Strand Centre on Saturday to find out more.’ The launch on Saturday February 5 will take place in the Strand Shopping Centre, Douglas from 9.00am until 17.00pm with representatives available throughout the day. The football team will be present at 1.00pm. Crimestoppers is a Manx Registered Charity dedicated to fighting crime across the Island. Designed to focus on issues that are important to the community – improving crime detection, enhancing quality of life and giving residents and visitors alike ‘Freedom to Flourish’. For more information including current appeals for information please visit www.crimestoppers.co.im ENDS