The Crime Stoppers program had a fairly busy summer, as it received nearly 50 tips that eventually led to four arrests or charges.
From May 1 to Aug. 31, the organization’s co-ordinator received 46 tips from the public, which led to 91 follow-up investigations and/or inquiries by the Moose Jaw Police Service. These tips and further investigations led to officers making four arrests or charges and issuing one search warrant.
Some investigations are continuing, so cops will lay charges and arrest people once enough evidence has been acquired, Chief Rick Bourassa said during the Sept. 28 Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting.
Crime Stoppers sometimes receives multiple tips about one incident or situation, so to better address how that’s handled, the program co-ordinator will speak to that at a future board meeting, he continued.
It’s good that residents with information about an incident call Crime Stoppers since it’s those kinds of tips that drive police agencies’ work, Bourassa said after the meeting. This program has been in Canada for 38 years — Moose Jaw’s program is the second oldest — and its board does good work to ensure the program runs well and is properly funded.
“It’s really effective because we get information we would not otherwise have received. So it allows us to solve some crimes — or sometimes to prevent some things because we get all sorts of tips that might have been harmful to people,” he continued.
It’s difficult to measure the effect that the 46 tips and four arrests had because every piece of information police receive is valuable in preventing future incidents, the chief added.
Crime Stoppers began in the United States 40 years ago, while Calgary was the first Canadian municipality to adopt the program. The program arrived in Moose Jaw two years later after a Calgary officer became The Friendly City’s new police chief.
The program has recovered $838,233 worth of drugs and property since it began here in 1985, while it has processed 4,407 tips, paid out $39,400 out of $56,565 in approved tip money and arrested 503 people.
Crime Stoppers can be contacted at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through its web page on the Moose Jaw Police Service website, through a phone app and on its social media pages.
The next Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting is Thursday, Oct. 19.
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