Anissa Lau, an Outreach and Event Coordinator for Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers (MVCS), gave an excellent presentation on February 23rd to inform us about Crime Stoppers and its community safety work.
Crime Stoppers is a completely independent, not-for-profit organization that takes information from anonymous members of the public about crimes past, present and future. They offer cash rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to a charge or an arrest. Callers are given a code number which is used for case updates and rewards. Tipsters are never asked to testify (they are protected by the Supreme Court of Canada).
Crime Stoppers recognizes that the success of the program depends on the tipster’s anonymity. Therefore, they do not ask for the tipster’s name, phone number, caller ID nor do they trap IP addresses or use call display. THEY DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE; THEY JUST WANT YOUR INFORMATION.
There are three ways to leave a tip:
- Website: solvecrime.ca
- Mobile app: P3 Tips App (multi-lingual)
- Telephone: 1-800-222-8477 (live operator 24/7 with translation available in 115 languages)
Is it worth it? In 2021, MVCS received 4,741 tips, seized property and drugs valued at $2.29 million and charged 96 people. Since its inception, MVCS has received well over 100,000 tips, recovered over $500 million in property and drugs and made 8,200 arrests.
There are more than 1,800 Crime Stoppers program in 32 countries worldwide and more than 100 Crime Stoppers programs in Canada. Thank you to Anissa and to the MVCS for providing us with this valuable information.