A campaign has been launched to encourage more people in Oxfordshire to phone the confidential police hotline, Crimestoppers.

As part of the drive to raise awareness about the service, more than 150,000 leaflets will be sent to Neighbourhood Watch members across the Thames Valley region.

The leaflet drop is one of several new publicity campaigns being used by Thames Valley Police to highlight the benefits of using Crimestoppers to help crack down on crime in the community.

People can anonymously pass on any information they have about criminal activity through the service.

The campaign will tell Neighbourhood Watch members that the hotline is another way for them to keep their community safe and can be the answer for anyone who is afraid to come forward or does not want to get involved in an investigation.

A recent NOP survey found 13 per cent of people questioned still did not recognise the word Crimestoppers or know what it was. Only two per cent of people knew it was a charity.

The 150,000 leaflets, which are sponsored by Norwich Union, each have a tear-off reminder card of the Crimestoppers freephone number - 0800 555 111. The cards also remind people that callers are not asked for their name, but if their information leads to an arrest and charge they may still receive a cash reward.

Thames Valley Crimestoppers chairman Roy Trustram Eve said: "Crimestoppers is a partnership between all sections of the community including businesses, local authorities and voluntary agencies with the media and the police.

"Very often, people with information about crime are afraid to be identified and the guarantee of anonymity that Crimestoppers provides means that they need have no fear.

"The information they give can be crucial to police investigations and, together with other intelligence, can solve crimes that might otherwise be undetected."

The latest figures from Thames Valley Crimestoppers reveal the charity hotline received 106 calls in April, which resulted in ten people being arrested and charged.

From the start of the year until the end of April, the Kidlington-based hotline has taken 382 calls, which resulted in 51 people being arrested and charged.