Crime Stoppers, the anonymous reporting platform, is looking to stub out illegal cigarette smuggling.

It’s the sixth week of a series of crime awareness campaigns that will run until January next year. The aim is to encourage people to safely and anonymously report what they know about crime in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Crime Stoppers CEO Hadyn Smith says that many people want to do the right thing and speak up about black market tobacco but are often too afraid or unable to go directly to Customs or Police.

“Illegal cigarettes are being increasingly smuggled into New Zealand and then being sold locally for profit. With the growing value of cigarettes, we want to make communities aware of the Crime Stoppers alternative as a safe way to pass on what they know in the illegal cigarette space.”

Mr Smith says, “Many people don’t know that Crime Stoppers is independent of the authorities. Nor do they realise our focus is on ensuring reports and leads are truly anonymous”.

A range of posters has been created to promote the campaign. They are A3 and A4 printable, and Week 6 can be found on the Crime stoppers website.

Crime Stoppers is independent of the authorities and wants people to report what they know about crime safely and anonymously. This can be done online at www.crimestoppers-nz.org or by phone on 0800 555 111. Reports can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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