Arrests and charges laid double with 16-per-cent increase in tips to Crime Stoppers

Almost half of tips to were about gang activity

 

Your total anonymity is guaranteed by Supreme Court of Canada when you call Crime Stoppers with information

 

TIPS received in 2017 by Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers have led to a total of 169 arrests (a 125-per-cent increase over 2016), and the laying of 269 charges (a 96-per-cent increase).

Those tips also led to the recovery of $9.3 million in property including illicit drugs and 67 illegal guns.

Year-end statistics released on Tuesday by Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers show a total of 5,597 tips were received last year, a 16-per-cent increase over the previous year.

Of those tips, 2,620 (46 per cent) of them related to known gang crimes, or to other crimes believed to be the result of gang activity.

“The rise in the number of tips suggests the message is starting to get through, and people are increasingly willing to break the ‘code of silence’ and pass on information about gang activities,” says Linda Annis, Executive Director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. “We’ve had advertising and billboard campaigns going for almost three years now urging anyone to slip us information about anyone involved in gang crime, or in possession of illegal weapons, and it seems to be working. Lives have most likely been saved. All those arrests and the recovery of all that property might not have happened without the information we were able to pass on to police from those 5,500 tips.

“Again, we want everyone to understand that your total anonymity is guaranteed by the Supreme Court of Canada when you call Crime Stoppers with information,” adds Annis. ”You don’t give your name, we don’t trace calls or IP addresses, you’ll never be called back by police, and never have to go to court. We just want to pass on any valuable information that will lead police to investigate and make arrests. That’s all. And in addition to doing the right thing, you could also be eligible for a cash reward.”

“We are committed to making Vancouver the safest major city in Canada and working closely with partners, like Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, is one of our best tools to help solve crime,” says Sgt. Jason Robillard, media relations officer for the Vancouver Police Department.  “We need people to come forward and Crime Stoppers is a confidential and tested way that works. It has been invaluable to our investigators for years. Solving crime not only makes for a safer community but it also holds criminals accountable for their actions and helps to bring justice to victims and families.”

 “The tips that people give to Crime Stoppers about gang and gun-related crime have been instrumental in saving lives and getting guns off our streets,” adds Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, spokesperson for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC. “The CFSEU-BC has had numerous tips and pieces of information sent to us from Crime Stoppers that have either been critical to the success of investigations or allowed us, and other police agencies, to get a better understanding of what is happening in the gang landscape. We know that a lot of people have information about gang and drug activity and the gun-related violence that has tragically impacted our communities and so many families. Gang-related crimes can be very difficult to solve, so we want to encourage anyone who has information, but does not want to speak with the police, to contact Crime Stoppers. Your information could save lives.”

 

About Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers

Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers is a non-profit society and registered charity that receives anonymous tip information about criminal activity and provides it to investigators in the communities of Metro Vancouver, B.C.: http://www.solvecrime.ca/