Information passed on to police anonymously through Crimestoppers has seen more than 200 criminals brought to justice across West Mercia, which includes Shropshire.

Figures for January to December last year show that of the thousands of calls received via the hotline, 1,616 were forwarded to police.

Many calls from Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Telford and Wrekin provided information police would not otherwise have had.

Using the information, police in West Mercia have been able to arrest and charge 206 people for a variety of offences including robbery, burglary, theft, vehicle crime and drugs.

The past year also saw West Mercia Crimestoppers break the 3,000 barrier for the number of arrests and charges brought since the service began in 1994, with the total reaching 3,044.

More than £1.8 million worth of property has also been recovered thanks to information passed to West Mercia Crimestoppers in its lifetime – with items worth £213,343 recovered in 2007.

Police also seized £74,222 of drugs last year, bringing the 14-year total to almost £800,000.

The figures mean that across the West Mercia region an arrest and charge is made for every 7.8 calls received. Jenny Wynn, chairman of the Crimestoppers West Mercia board, said: “The past year has undoubtedly been a successful one for Crimestoppers, with more and more people choosing to pick up the telephone and pass on information about crime.

“The challenge is to get even more people to do the same in 2008 so that further criminals can be brought to justice. People feel much more at ease talking to Crimestoppers because they know that it really is anonymous.

“Criminals rely on others saying nothing, but Crimestoppers offers the chance to tackle crime without getting directly involved – picking up the phone is all it takes and no-one will ever know who made the call.”

Crimestoppers is an independent charity that allows people to report crime by phone or via a website.

Every call is treated with anonymity so that nobody will know the identity of the caller. Rewards are sometimes available and are paid without compromising anonymity. The website is www.crime-stoppers.org.uk

The Crimestoppers hotline number is 0800 555 111.