Street's Ken praise for callers

The Street star congratulated the town on reducing its crime figures through the Crimestoppers campaign at the launch of its Safe to Talk campaign.

He also stressed the need to make people understand that they can call the Crimestoppers number in total anonymity to report a crime, without the fear of a reprisal.

He said: "I am amazed at the response. Bolton has had a higher response than in any other area in Greater Manchester."

In Bolton last year 1,056 people rang Crimestoppers and a total of 48 people were arrested as a direct result of information given to the police.

As community figurehead, Bill Roache, better known as Ken Barlow in the popular soap, was the ideal candidate to launch the crime-busting drive. And as Ken has recently had a career change from supermarket trolley assistant to teacher, he feels he is a good role model too.

He said: "It would be appropriate if we could look at an issue like this in a Street storyline."

With his busy schedule at Granada Television, filming Coronation Street various days during the week, Bill plans his diary well in advance to fit in the work he does as a patron and strong supporter of the campaign.

He said: "People need to know the Crimestoppers number as they know the emergency services number. It's good to hear that the people of Bolton are keen to use it and find it so useful."

Sue Arden, the Crimestoppers regional development manager, said: "In many cases, residents who know the perpetrators are but are afraid to give any information to the police in case of any reprisals.

"The Crimestoppers number gives residents the opportunity to pass on information without being asked their name, and calls are not traced."

A similar campaign launched two years ago saw the number of calls to Crimestoppers double, and the number of arrests made by police, as a result of these calls, treble in the Bolton area. The Crimestoppers number is 0800 555 111.