More than 90 cases have been solved in the past year in New Brunswick, according to Crime Stoppers New Brunswick, and it’s a result of anonymous tips received from people across the province.
Crime Stoppers provincial police coordinator Sgt. Tammy Ward said there were also 88 people arrested and 188 charges laid in 2016.
Ward said the organization receives “a few thousand tips a year” and many crimes in the province would remain unsolved if it weren’t for ‘tipsters’ sharing information.
“It’s also a way for people to give information, perhaps it’s about a drug dealer or somebody selling contraband that isn’t even on the radar of any of the policing agencies yet, so it can help open an investigation and get some of the drugs [and] contraband off the street,” Ward said.
Ward said there have been a total number of 8,289 cases solved and 10,384 arrests made since the inception of Crime Stoppers in New Brunswick in 1985.
She said tips range from cases involving murders and armed robberies, to child pornography cases, to theft and vandalism. She said the tips are always kept anonymous.
Ward said there are many people who want to do the right thing but don’t want a police car in their driveway for their neighbours to see. She said calling crime stoppers gives people the chance to share information without any fear or retaliation.
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The program also saw numerous drug seizures in 2016, Ward said, with $480,458 worth of drugs seized. More than $70 million worth have been seized since the program began. She said that’s a lot of drugs that didn’t make it off the streets of New Brunswick.
She also said there have been over $20 million worth of custom seizures over the past three decades.
“So that’s things that haven’t come out into our communities that aren’t hurting out provincial government with people avoiding paying the taxes,” Ward said.
She said “tipsters” are eligible for a cash reward if the information they provide leads to an arrest. Ward said people who call in tips could received up to $2,000 cash.
“There’s a lot of people in New Brunswick who really don’t care about the money, they just don’t want that in their neighbourhood or, you know, they’re concerned with their safety or their children’s safety and they call us just for taking care of their province and keeping New Brunswick safe,” Ward said.
In an emailed statement to Global News, a spokesperson from the Department of Justice and Public Safety said Crime Stoppers is an important program in the province.
“Crime Stoppers New Brunswick has been an important partner to the Department of Justice and Public Safety through the years,” the statement reads. “Through their education and public service efforts, and by providing an anonymous means of reporting crimes in communities. Their contribution to helping to solve crimes and keep our communities safe is extraordinary.”
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University of New Brunswick Department of Psychology professor Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, who is also the director for the Centre for Criminal Justice, said having an anonymous reporting system in “quite valuable.”
“Having something that allows us anonymous reporting certainly adds value for giving police the information they require to pursue investigations and also to prevent crime,” Campbell said.
Campbell said she has always heard Crime Stoppers referred to in a positive way and said it helps police advance their investigations.
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