On Monday 11th April the eighth and final episode in the pilot series of Crime NI will air on BBC One Northern Ireland at 10:40pm. This is a monthly crime appeals programme presented by journalist Wendy Austin and Dearbhail McDonald.
This month officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland discuss the details of live investigations, appealing to the public for help in solving crimes ranging from theft to serious assault.
The programme will feature CCTV footage and reconstructions of various investigations, including a £76,110 scam and a serious assault in Belfast that resulted in a broken jaw for the victim.
There will also be a feature on the Police Service’s ‘BikeSafe’ scheme. In Northern Ireland motorcyclists make up just 1% of road users but account for 19% of road deaths. In 2021, 14 riders lost their lives on our roads.
This month Crime NI attended two local workshops to find out more about how the scheme is working with riders to save lives on our roads through workshops and supervised ride-alongs with advanced Police motorcyclists.
This episode will be repeated on Tuesday 12th April at 11:15pm on BBC Two NI. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer for one week following transmission.
The Police are encouraging the public to watch the show and are emphasising the importance of coming forward with information they may have on any appeals featured.
The programme appeals to viewers to contact independent charity Crimestoppers. Any details provided will be recorded 100% anonymously before being shared with detectives on each case. The number to call is 0800 555 111.
Endorsing the success of the pilot series, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: “This programme has been a real opportunity to reach a greater percentage of the population who may have new information to share that could help in our investigations.
“We also know that there may be reasons why people in Northern Ireland do not come forward to Police traditionally, including fear and coercion, and so working in partnership with Crimestoppers we have provided the reassurance of total anonymity in reporting.
“I want to thank everyone who has watched the programme to date and come forward with information that has helped in our investigations. The information you have provided has helped officers on some of these cases to identify offenders and make arrests.”
A full list of appeals featured on tonight’s show can be found here: https://www.psni.police.uk/news/crime-ni/april-2022/
You can download CCTV footage from the show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/PoliceServiceNI
