Imperial Tobacco’s anti-illicit trade (AIT) campaign – Suspect it? Report it! – has launched two new online presences, the website www.suspect-it-report-it.co.uk and a Twitter feed at @suspect_report. The website poses the question: “Why should you care about illegal tobacco?”, and aims to become a digital focal point for the fight against the illicit tobacco trade in the UK.
Visitors to the site will find a wealth of content relating to AIT. A dedicated newsfeed provides the latest daily developments around illicit tobacco, from regional, national and international perspectives. Visitors can also view and download Suspect It? Report It! posters, videos and infographics, while there’s also a contact form for those who want to find out more about Imperial Tobacco’s efforts to stem the tide of illegal tobacco.
Peter Nelson, Imperial Tobacco Anti-Illicit Trade Manager, commented: “The Suspect It? Report It! campaign has helped spread and drive the message that the manufacture and sale of illegal tobacco is not a victimless crime as some contend. In fact, it’s a series of substantial illegal businesses that drain over £40 million per week from the Treasury, puts retail businesses at risk and brings crime into our communities. It presents a shared problem for UK Government, law enforcement, industry and society and we have a responsibility to work collaboratively to counter its increasing menace.
“Our ambition is for this innovative new Imperial Tobacco website and Twitter presence to become valuable resources for information about the illegal tobacco problem in the UK. We encourage anybody affected by this illicit trade to visit www.suspect-it-report-it.co.uk, learn more by absorbing our wealth of digital materials… and act.
“In the meantime, if you’ve any suspicions around the sale of illegal tobacco where you live, please call either the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000, or contact your local Trading Standards or Police.
“Remember, if you Suspect it? then Report it!”
