The Chatham-Kent Crime Stoppers program is celebrating an important milestone, as 2017 marks 30 years since the first tipster received an award for information to help police solve a crime.
From the beginning up to Nov 21 of this year, there has been $90,631,540 worth of drugs seized and $10,082,203 in property recovered with a total recovery of nearly $101 million.
Those figures generated 25,869 tips received by Crime Stoppers resulting in 6,276 arrests on 15,722 charges, with 10,684 cases of crime cleared.
Also taken off the streets were 253 weapons.
This year is continuing that successful trend. As of Nov 21, there have been 684 tips leading to 98 arrests on 292 charges with 136 cases cleared and 20 weapons recovered.
Those results also helped police locate $796,279 worth of drugs and $197,149 in stolen property.
Chatham-Kent Crime Stoppers board chair Angie Shreve attributes that overall success to one key reason people support the program.
“The passion is taking crime off the streets to make Chatham-Kent a better place,” Shreve said in a media release. “We’re supported by the Chatham-Kent Police Service, our local media partners and by the residents. When you have all that support, that’s what makes our program work. Not all Crime Stoppers programs have been that lucky.”
Bringing a Crime Stoppers program to Chatham-Kent first caught the interest of Margaret Illman, while she was a member of the Chatham Police Force board of directors.
“I really felt Crime Stoppers was something that would help the police department,” Illman said.
Illman would become the first chair of the newly formed volunteer board and together with Chief (retired) Dennis Poole, who was a constable in 1987, Chatham-Kent Crime Stoppers was launched.
“Crime Stoppers was a great and novel idea, as it engaged the public, the media, police investigators, and guaranteed anonymity for people who wished to pass on information but did not want to get involved as witnesses and be thrust into the whole court process,” Poole said.
He recalled anonymous tips helping to “steer the police” in the right direction on many minor and major cases.
“Our arrest and case clearance rates went up dramatically, which has made our community a safer place as a result,” Poole said.
Both Shreve and Illman also credit the efforts of the program co-ordinators assigned to Crime Stoppers for its continued success over the last three decades.
“We also salute our (current) Crime Stoppers co-ordinator Const. David Bakker who handles the day-to-day operations and that’s huge. Good co-ordinators are keys to a successful Crime Stoppers program,” Shreve said.
As the first co-ordinator, Poole said he started out “with a desk and locking file cabinet in the basement of the old section of police headquarters with one touch-tone phone and an old cassette tape answering machine.”
Today tipsters can call, e-mail or text their information anonymously.
“Often people know what’s going on in their community,” Illman said.
Over the years, volunteer boards have organized a number of fundraising activities to help keep the program, a registered charity, possible.
“We started raising funds through a rodeo event in 2010. It’s now our biggest single fundraising activity and it’s become such a fun time for families,” Shreve said.
Some of the proceeds are returned to the community through sponsorship, including free skating at some local arenas over the Christmas holidays.
“Our Crime Stoppers program works so well. The people on the board and our volunteers work so passionately and we have members who have served on our board for over 20 years,” Shreve said.
