The charity passed on almost 15,000 pieces of information to police last year.

A record number of reports were received by Crimestoppers Scotland last year, according to new figures.

Between April 2018 and March 2019, the charity sent 14,534 pieces of anonymous information to Police Scotland and other law enforcement agencies – an increase of 6.3% on the previous year and 45% over three years.

Almost 12,000 of these were acted on, leading to 738 criminals being arrested and charged, 39.5% up on the previous year.

Thirteen of those were charged with murders or other unlawful killings, two for modern slavery, and two for rape and sexual offences against children.

Calls regarding illegal drugs led to almost £1m of substances being seized, while stolen goods worth £264,466 were recovered thanks to the service.

Weapons including firearms (13) and knives (11) were also found by police acting on information from Crimestoppers.

Angela Parker, the charity’s national manager, said: “This is an impressive increase that shows how people are putting their trust in our charity as a way to pass on crime information whilst remaining 100% anonymous. Always.

“Often people are too scared or concerned to speak directly to the police, despite holding the key in terms of crime information. Our guarantee of anonymity means they can pass on information without fearing consequences. Their identity will never be known.”

The new figures were welcomed by minister for community safety Ash Denham. She said: “The Scottish Government’s vision is of a safe, just and resilient country where people can live their lives safe from crime and harm.

“We all have a part to play in making that vision a reality and I encourage anyone who witnesses a crime or has information about criminality in their community to report it.

“I’m pleased to see the number of reports to Crimestoppers reach a record high in the past 12 months. By using this service the public can help to prevent, detect and solve crime within their local community.”