CALGARY LANDS TOP CRIME SUMMIT

Global Forum A Windfall For 2005

Leading criminologists and legal experts from around the globe will gather
in Calgary in 2005 after the city was chosen to host an international
crime-fighters' conference.

The five-day training conference of the Crime Stoppers organization is
expected to attract hundreds of delegates from across Canada, the United
States and elsewhere, with expected spinoff economic benefits for all of
Alberta.

"It should be good economically for Calgary and the rest of Alberta," said
Al Hathaway, who led a six-member committee from Calgary that travelled to
this southeast Australian city to make the bid.

Calgary's bid was endorsed by more than 400 delegates attending the
Melbourne summit from 16 countries.

More delegates are expected to attend the Calgary conference in August 2005
than the Melbourne conference, Hathaway said. About half were expected from
the U.S., about 40 per cent from Canada and the remainder from other countries.

Delegates will discuss numerous issues, including community safety,
forensic services and crime prevention.

Calgary's bid was backed by Alberta Solicitor General Heather Forsyth, who
was a speaker at the Melbourne conference, along with RCMP Commissioner
Giuliano Zaccardelli.

"It will coincide with our 100th birthday and holding the conference will
be just one more thing for us," Forsyth said. "We have a huge Crime
Stoppers presence in Calgary and the rest of Alberta so we're quite excited
about it.

"If we get a good turnout like we have had here in Melbourne, it will be
good for tourism in Alberta, because we're hoping the visitors will go on
to see other sights, like Banff and Drumheller."

Hathaway, Calgary secretary for Crime Stoppers, said he had found several
aspects of the way Crime Stoppers operates in Australia that could be worth
considering at home.

"We've concentrated more on developing actual call facilities for people to
give tips, but here in Australia they concentrate a lot on actual crime
awareness programs," he said.

Forsyth also said the Melbourne conference has presented several ideas
worth pursuing by the province.

One is a day dedicated to phoning special hotlines to report anyone
suspected of illegal drug dealing, an idea already tried in Australia.

"They picked a particular day and they happened to choose 'turn in a drug
dealer.'

They, in one day, got 3,000 phone calls on their Crime Stoppers lines, with
1,400 solid tips, and, to me, that is incredible," she said.

Forsyth said she had received an "overwhelming" response to her
presentation on Alberta's Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution Act.

"I had many approaches from people at the conference who wanted to follow
this up," she said, pointing out Alberta is believed to be the only
jurisdiction in the world so far with such legislation.

RCMP Commissioner Zaccardelli told the Melbourne conference organizations
such as Crime Stoppers were "absolutely critical" to help police conduct
proactive crime prevention based on good intelligence.

"Don't think that because you only work and solve crimes at the local
level, that it's not related to what happens at the provincial, the
national and the international level," he told delegates.

There are more than 1,000 Crime Stoppers programs in the North America, the
United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Bahamas, British West Indies and
other nations.

Lindsey Arkley is a freelance writer based in Melbourne