CRIME STOPPERS EFFORTS APPLAUDED

Along with being the first month of the first year of a new decade,
January has also been proclaimed Crime Stoppers month, both here in
Penticton and, with 1,200 programs in other communities, around the world.

It's a fitting time to look back on the success the program has had
over the last 36 years, since it got its start in the small city of
Albuquerque, NM.

The concept is simple. A phone number that citizens can call to give
information on a crime, with the guarantee of anonymity and rewards
if the tip leads to a conviction.

But over the last three decades, that simple idea has been directly
responsible for almost $10 billion worth of drugs seized and stolen
property recovered, $3.5 billion in Canada.

In the South Okanagan Similkameen, where the program was introduced
in 1992 -- thanks to the efforts of community-minded volunteers and
ongoing support from citizens -- the total is some $13 million of
stolen property recovered and drugs removed from the streets.

Instrumental to the success of the program is that it is
community-based rather than being a police program, allowing citizens
to support the police, acting as extra "eyes and ears," able to
report criminal activity in a safe and secure manner -- information
that likely would not have been gathered had there not been a
guarantee of anonymity and no requirement that tipsters testify in court.

They've long since proved their ability to both gather information on
criminal activity and protect the identity of tipsters, proving their
worth as an intermediary.

In doing so, Crime Stoppers has built a strong reputation not only
with the communities their program serves but also with police forces
- -- not only the RCMP, but the US Marshals Service, Scotland Yard and Interpol.

Not bad for a community program that doesn't cost the RCMP a penny.