Cops and Robbers

Cops & Robbers

Cops & Robbers is a comic book telling real life stories of ex-offenders and others who are now Christians. Started in 2004 by Paul Senior, a member at the Community Church in Bishop’s Stortford, Cops & Robbers is an example of the kingdom of God reaching out into places that seem hard to reach for most Christians. Paul shares the story of Cops & Robbers.

Cops & Robbers started life in 2004 as an initiative of the Christian Police Association (CPA) London which aimed to reduce crime, particularly knife crime, amongst young people. Permission was given by the Metropolitan Police for comic books, telling true stories of ex-offenders and others who are now Christians, to be placed in cells. However, when the first edition of 10,000 was produced, permission was withdrawn as one of the stories showed a black man with a knife – a ‘racial stereotype’, according to the Met – even though this was a true story.
 
The Daily Mail and BBC got hold of the story and what might have been seen by 300 – 500 young people in custody, ended up in a national newspaper and on the BBC news with Des, the subject of the story, telling millions of viewers how the power of God had changed his life.
 
There followed a second and third edition of the comic published by me before I retired from the Met after 30 years’ service, but not before a special edition was produced in conjunction with T.R.U.C.E. (To Reach Urban Communities Everywhere, a Nicky Cruz organisation which uses ex-drug addicts and dealers to reach young people with the gospel). These editions were used around the country by police forces putting them in cells, by churches as outreach, and as part of Operation Blunt (a Metropolitan Police initiative to reduce knife crime).
 
In Devon and Cornwall the Youth Offending Team made the comic available to young offenders and several became Christians. Wherever the comic has been used it has been well received. It has been particularly well received by prisons and many thousands of copies have been given out for free.
 
Upon my retirement it looked as though there would be no more editions but in the space of two days, three things happened:
1. A friend at church offered to pay for an edition to be printed;
2. Devon and Cornwall requested a special edition to be done for them; and
3. Mike Smith, a Metropolitan Police Officer had a vision from God for young people to exchange their weapons for his: their guns and knives for Bibles.
 
This led to a new smaller ‘pocket’ edition being produced and distributed. The Metropolitan Police paid for 5,000 copies to be printed for use with Word4Weapons, a scheme started by Mike Smith in London where young people can surrender their knives and guns in specially adapted weapons bins and in exchange receive a Bible, a comic, information, etc. in a special ‘All I Need’ bag.
 
A chance meeting then led to Teen Challenge producing their own edition which they distribute when they do street evangelism six days a week in London. Some of the stories in the comics are from them and others from people who attend Transformed, a church for ex-offenders in Brixton.
 
With the help of supporters we produced a special edition in Thai for use by John Robinson, the first ex-offender I met after I became a Christian who, with his family, now works in prisons and orphanages in Thailand.  John wrote Nobody’s Child, a very moving story of a young lad brought up in care and with spells in prison before becoming a Christian.
 
It costs about £5,000 to produce each edition of the comic, and though most are given away, we rely on donations to raise funds for subsequent editions. In 2010 my church, Community Church Bishop’s Stortford, committed to support the production the next two editions. I am currently preparing an edition for 2012. I have been blessed by the work of a number of illustrators including one who works for Marvel Comics in the States and has done a wonderful job for me.
 
To date over 100,000 copies, 10 editions, have been produced and distributed. I am working with Avanti Ministries to produce a special edition for them and copies have been distributed worldwide as and when they have been requested. The stories are all available to read on the website where donations towards the work can also be made. All I ask from people if they would like hard copies is payment of post and packing and a donation.
 
God has been very good in starting this work and allowing it to continue. We all have a story, and these are very easy to follow, especially by those for whom literacy is a problem – over half the prison population have difficulties with literacy and numeracy.
 
I have recently been appointed the Word4Weapons tri-borough co-ordinator (Southwark, Lambeth and Westminster).
 
The 2012 edition is currently being prepared. If any church would like to pre-order 1,000 copies for outreach, etc. at a cost of £250 (which includes delivery in the UK) please contact Bishop’s Stortford before the end of December 2011. This will help us to plan an increased print run which is much more cost efficient.

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What do you think about this article?

Annie Carter – Sunday 4 Mar 2012

This sounds brilliant. It’s great that it’s being used by so many different outreach organisations, not just in prisons.
I would love to get hold of some copies for our monthly youth event The Hub in Peterborough. Where can I order them?

Jennie Pollock – Monday 5 Mar 2012

Hi Annie, try clicking on the Cops and Robbers link above and using the contact form on their site (or just copy and paste this link: http://www.copsandrobbers.org.uk/index.php?categoryid=5 ) Hope that helps!

Jacqueline Beckford-Barry – Wednesday 25 Apr 2012

I work for a mail ex-offender project and I am a volunteer.  How can I get past copies of your true stories of God’s Grace Cops & Robbergs comics and subscribe to the current and next issues

Jennie Pollock – Wednesday 9 May 2012

Hi Jacqueline - see my response to Annie, above - you need to contact Cops and Robbers direct, as we are not agents for them or anything. Hope your contact is successful!