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Crime Stoppers is marking its 35 years in the Central Okanagan in 2022, and January is recognized across the country as 'Crime Stoppers Month'.
On April 13, 1987, the Okanagan Crime Stoppers Society was incorporated, and by 1988 the RDCO became a major partner which expanded the program to become a Central Okanagan-wide program which included Peachland, West Kelowna, and Lake Country.
The anonymous, crime tip site has had 30,717 tips since its launch, which has led to 2,977 arrests.
They’ve cleared 3,970 cases, laid 761 charges, and seized 69 illegal weapons in the region alone.
Although, their biggest contributions to fighting crime in the area could be attributed to the estimated value of illegal drugs and stolen property recovered.
Close to $88,670,375 worth of illegal drugs have been recovered and approximately $5,195,881 of stolen property was retrieved and returned to rightful owners.
While CrimeStoppers offers rewards of up to $2,000 if an arrest is made, the Central Okanagan detachment has distributed 988 awards amounting to $325,000.
In 2021, Crime Stoppers International recognized and awarded the Central Okanagan branch for recovering over $600,000 in stolen goods and services from tips from the community.
“Our Crime Stoppers program works in collaboration with the RCMP, the public, the media, the RDCO, and a volunteer Board of Directors (Crime Stoppers Society) to help stop, solve and prevent crime,” explained Crime Stoppers.
“Our goal is safe homes and safe communities for all our residents and visitors. It is because of this community-based crime solving program that our citizens are helping the police to keep the Central Okanagan a safe place to live.”
Phone tips are received from the public by calling 1-800-222-8477, which is handled by a secure call centre. Calls are not traceable and are completely anonymous.
Alternately, tips can be submitted online by pressing the “SUBMIT A TIP” button on www.crimestoppers.net.
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