Lynne Featherstone

The crime information line Crimestoppers has been asked to explain why it is advertising on a pirate radio station that has been raided several times by police.

Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone has written to Crimestoppers and Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair about the adverts, which appear on the pirate station Bizim FM.

The revelation came after Lynne Featherstone met with representatives of London Turkish Radio (LTR), a legal radio station based in her constituency which has found itself having to compete against the pirate station.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone said:

“This is completely unacceptable. I was shocked to hear two advertisements from Crimestoppers – one of which had the tag line ‘the Metropolitan Police; working for a safer London’ – on an illegal radio station.

“Legitimate radio stations, such as London Turkish Radio in my constituency, are fighting a double-whammy of incompetence from the Met and Crimestoppers as well as the seeming inability of Ofcom to tacklepirate radio stations. This sends out the wrong message – that crime does pay.”