Members of council and staff and volunteers from the local chapter of Crime Stoppers marked Crime Prevention Month in Collingwood today with a flag raising.
Councillors Deb Doherty, Rob Ring, and Steve Perry were joined by Leslie Woodley, Angie Shiner, Tom Young and Rick Brady of Crime Stoppers Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka on Jan. 17 at the Collingwood Public Library to raise the Crime Stoppers flag.
Doherty brought greetings on behalf of council and commended the group for their work in the region collecting anonymous tips to support police investigations.
Crime Stoppers Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka became a registered charity in 1987 and continues to be run by a volunteer board of directors. Funding comes from private sector donations and fundraising. While the charity assists police investigations, it is not a police entity.
The main function of Crime Stoppers is to provide a vehicle for citizens to provide information to the police anonymously about a crime or potential crime. Cash rewards up to $2,000 are given to people if the tips they submit leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, or seizure of drugs.
The organization began in 1976 in Albuquerque, New Mexico where police set up a tip line and had fatal robbery re-enacted on television with a call for information. A tip came in and within three days the murder was solved.
In 2023, Crime Stoppers of Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka received 1,967 tips. They helped clear 39 cases and provided information for 46 arrests and 137 charges. Tips called into the regional chapter led to the seizure of $4,182,750 in drugs, $186,765 in property recovered, and more than $10,000 in cash recovered.
The local charity gave out $5,950 in rewards for tips.
For more from the Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka Crime Stoppers chapter, visit their Facebook page or their website.
If you want to submit an anonymous tip, call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit online at www.p3tips.com.
