Staff
Each year in January Crime Stoppers programs from across the globe take the opportunity to extol their successes of the past and look ahead to the upcoming year as part of the annual Crime Stoppers Month.
Incorporated in 1987, Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce was based on a concept conceived eleven years earlier in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by Canadian-born Detective Greg MacAleese, who in 1976 was assigned to investigate a robbery involving the shooting death of a young employee of a gas station.
Frustrated by the lack of solid investigative leads, MacAleese recognized that there were two primary reasons the public didn’t report crime – fear and apathy. MacAleese created an anonymous tips line, offered a cash reward for information, and staged a re-enactment resulting in the successful arrest of those responsible for the murder. The Crime Stoppers concept was born. Since 1976 Crime Stoppers programs have grown in numbers around the world totaling more than 1,200 in over 22 countries.
The year 2016 will mark the 29th year of operations for Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce Inc., who once again enjoyed a successful year in assisting law enforcement agencies in the solving of crime and the seizure of illegal drugs and stolen property. In 2015 Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce realized an increase of more than 100 tips over the same time period in 2014.
“Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce continues to be an effective support service for our local police services,” says OPP Constable Dean Rutherford, Program Coordinator.
“Police services are presently adopting new strategies in making our communities safer and one of those strategies is “Community Mobilization”. It is my opinion that Crime Stoppers is a leader in this philosophy, that communities can make communities safe,” said Rutherford. Cst. Rutherford also stated that Crime Stoppers has raised their profile on social media through Facebook and Twitter.
In 2015 tips to Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce resulted in the seizure of over $849,362 in drugs and stolen goods, 28 arrests, and 23 cases cleared.
Since inception in 1987 the local program has amassed totals ofover $51.7 million in seized drugs and property, resulting in over 1,500 arrests while solving 2,558 cases. During that time span $242,105 in cash rewards have been approved for payment to tipsters.
The Crime Stoppers Program is made up of three essential elements: the community, the media, and law enforcement. The community is involved through its local Board of Directors and through those community members who provide tip information and funds for the maintenance of the program. The media publicizes case re-enactments or details about a case not yet solved or a person wanted on a warrant. Law enforcement receives the anonymous tip information from our office staff and follows the information through to its conclusion.
Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce is a fully functioning, registered, incorporated charity. All of Crime Stoppers activities in Grey Bruce are paid for by the fund-raising activities of the Board of Directors, which is made up of concerned volunteer members of our community. The day-to-day activities of the program are overseen by South Bruce OPP Constable Dean Rutherford.
“I believe that Crime Stoppers is a program that epitomizes community policing,” says Rutherford. “It allows the public to be the eyes and ears for the police and provides the community with a sense of ownership in creating safe neighbourhoods.”
Ms. Betty Bender, chair of the Board for Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce Inc., further extolled the success of the local program:
“Crime Stoppers works, and it works because of the combined efforts of concerned citizens throughout Grey Bruce who want to make our schools and our communities safer places to live. Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce is proud to be a part of this community, proud to see the community’s support of our program grow each year, and proud to be part of the solution.”
To learn more about Crime Stoppers of Grey Bruce or how you can volunteer please visit their website at www.crimestoppersgb.ca, e-mail them at crimestopgb@bmts.com, find them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
