January is Crime Stoppers Month and the Central Okanagan branch is sharing its results from this past year that led to dozens of arrests throughout the valley.
This year marks the 36th anniversary of Crime Stoppers helping police in the Central Okanagan and 2022 was yet another successful year.
“What we did is 1,093 tips came in. From that, we were able to have 27 arrests. When you look at it overall from those 36 years, that’s kind of the stats that really add up,” said Glynton Brittain, Crime Stoppers coordinator.
The Central Okanagan branch has been recognized for its service, earning a number of awards for its high productivity and what it does for the community.
“The amount of property that’s been recovered is $5,210,000. The cash that’s been recovered is $167,000. Drugs seized is $88 million, close to $89 million, and the total recovered is closing in on $100 million, at $94 million right now,” Brittain said.
Over the past three decades, Crime Stoppers has received over 31,000 tips from the public, resulting in 3,005 arrests and clearing nearly 4,000 cases.
“RCMP wouldn’t necessarily be able to solve certain crimes without the tips that we get, so it’s huge. Sometimes we’ll have an unsolved crime that we’re able to solve because of a tip that comes in,” Brittain said.
Brittain said Crimestoppers uses an encrypted service and so tipsters don’t share information that could reveal someone’s identity.
“It’s simple, it’s easy, and you always remain anonymous. Sometimes we get tips in where they might say a name or they might do something. It’s my job to make sure that doesn’t get to anybody else,” he said.
The public can submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Brittain said that if a tip leads to an arrest, the individual can receive up to $2,000 for the info.
“Almost half of the $326,000 in rewards approved since the program started in the Central Okanagan has not been claimed. People just want to step up by sharing information that might help police solve a crime,” Brittain said.