$12 MILLION IN DRUGS, PROPERTY RECOVERED BY CRIME STOPPERS

Comox Valley Crime Stoppers has taken a $12 million bite out of crime since
it was founded in 1992, RCMP Const. Dean Maxwell says.

That's the total value of drugs confiscated and stolen property recovered
by police as a result of Crime Stoppers' efforts.

During the past year, mounties have seized more than 13,000 marijuana
plants from illegal grow operations in the Valley, many of which were shut
down thanks to Crime Stoppers, Maxwell said,

"Crime Stoppers has always tried to come up with innovative ways of
reducing crime and making the community safer," Maxwell said.

The latest endeavor is the Securitag program which offers small tags
imprinted with drivers' licence numbers.

The tags can be used to quickly identify stolen property.

Applications for Securitags are available at the RCMP Detachment on Ryan Rd.

The Comox Valley Crime Stoppers Web site, , and new information on crime is
added almost daily.

It has recorded more than 17,000 hits during the past year and traffic
grows steadily, Maxwell said.

The Crime Stoppers board of directors is comprised of volunteers and the
group receives no direct government funding.

Crime Stoppers relies on bingo revenue and donations from the community for
funding.