Prisoners Get Anonymous Crime Hotline

Prisoners have been given a special PIN code to ring Crimestoppers anonymously.

It is hoped inmates will pass on details of crimes committed inside jail and anything they know about offences outside.

Pilot schemes in Yorkshire and Scotland have generated many useful calls, says Crimestoppers .

The project has been set up by the charity and the National Offender Management Service , which oversees the prison and probation services.

The authorities hope that information will help them tackle the internal trafficking of drugs and mobile phones.

All 86,000 prisoners in England and Wales have been issued his or her PIN to punch in after dialling the national Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111.

At the moment most prisoners' calls are recorded. The exceptions are calls to lawyers and the Samaritans charity .

Crimestoppers founder Lord Ashcroft said: "From day one, Crimestoppers' success has been due to the anonymity that has been guaranteed to those supplying information about crime.

"Because of the knowledge that the prison population is likely to have about crime, the launch of this PIN service offers the same guarantee of anonymity to prisoners as it does to members of the public."

Prisons Minister Crispin Blunt said: "It's important that prisoners who do not wish to speak to the police or a prison officer are able to give anonymous information to Crimestoppers - last year alone over 8,000 people were arrested and charged thanks to information received by the charity."