A BLOODY poster campaign launched in Rugby by Crimestoppers to target violent drug dealers has been banned by the advertising watchdog.
The posters, depicting a human heart grasped in bloodied hands, were described by the Advertising Standards Authority as “likely to cause unjustifiable distress”.
Bearing the slogan ‘Don’t let drugs and violence rip the heart out of your community’, the posters appeared at Rugby train station and on phone boxes around the town in November last year as part of the ‘Break your silence’ campaign to raise awareness of how drug-related violence can destroy communities.
The agency investigated after receiving two complaints about the posters.
An ASA spokesman said: “We considered that some individuals, particularly children, might find the bloody image upsetting because of its graphic nature.
“While we acknowledged the positive intention behind the campaign, we considered that the image was not directly relevant to crime or the overriding message of the campaign.”
The poster campaign, which ran in Rugby and Nuneaton, was launched by the independent crime-fighting charity in response to a small increase in acts of violence across Warwickshire, with slightly bigger spikes in the two towns.
A Crimestoppers spokesman said: “We are sorry if the imagery in our adverts caused any offence.
“The campaign being run was designed to tackle drug-related violence, which can be a huge problem in some areas.
“Generally it is found that many people are reluctant to give information about this crime, either through fear or misguided loyalty, which is why it was felt that a hard-hitting image was required in order to make people think and to prompt a response.
“However, we accept the Advertising Standards Authority’s decision and will no longer be using the imagery in question.”
Crimestoppers launched the Rugby campaign after a similar one in Ipswich – which used the same artwork but different wording – prompted 66 pieces of information on drug-related crime and no complaints over three months.
