While 2018 may have marked the 30th Anniversary of Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington (CSGW), it also marked a 23 per cent increase in tips for the program.
For the calendar year, 894 tips were provided by anonymous Tipsters who wanted to confidentially report crime in their communities. Because of these Tipsters, 12 cases were cleared, 12 arrests made and a total of 37 charges were laid. The CSGW Board of Directors approved $2,920 in rewards for successful Tips.
“The effectiveness of this program rests with the involvement of the community,” said Program Coordinator Sarah Bowers-Peter, “and these numbers prove that more Tipsters are providing information to help solve crime.”
CSGW Board Chair Rick Beazley was pleased with the year end results.
“There has been such an effort to get out in the community, whether it is a fundraiser, an awareness event or through our media partners and social media platforms, that I’m not surprised with the increase in tip volume,” said Beazley. “People know we are available to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they are taking advantage of our pledge to keep them anonymous, and their information confidential. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
“Its gratifying to know that with our Tipsters, 12 cases have been solved. These would be outstanding, possibly with individuals continuing to offend,” he added.
CSGW cannot provide information about the individual cases it has assisted in solving with Tipster information, as it may jeopardize Tipster safety. However, the program’s statistics can measure the effectiveness of the program, and the impact Tipsters have when it comes to keeping their communities safe.
There are two ways to contact CSGW with information about crime, the toll-free number, 1-800-222-TIPS or via the website www.csgw.tips. If you have questions about how the tip process works, feel free to call and ask, or arrange for a presentation to your community group, club or organization. Presentations can be requested through the website and the “Contact Us”.
