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About Toronto Police Department
The anonymous crime fighting hotline capped off another successful year, taking in 6,876 tips that led to the clearing of 616 cases in 2006. More importantly, there were 530 arrests as the result of the public phoning in tips on a variety of crimes.
Over $3 million worth of property and drugs with a street value of over $23.6 million were also seized with the help of the world-renowned program.
Toronto was also named the most outstanding of 1,200 international Crime Stoppers programs last year among a bevy of international awards.
"The figures are extraordinary," said Mayor David Miller, who once again declared January as Crime Stoppers Month. " To build a truly safe city involves community ownership that's what Crime Stoppers is all about." The mayor encouraged tipsters to keep phoning in with information, no matter how small.
"The information you have may be extremely relevant and you don't even know it," he said. Deputy Chief Tony Warr said the power of the program lies in reaching out to the community for help.
Crime Stoppers also showed off a handful of shirts they designed for Sex Crimes Unit Child Exploitation investigators to wear when they go on search warrants.
The shirts, emblazoned with the words 'POLICE' and the Crime Stoppers logo plus the accompanying tip line, are designed to encourage people to call with any additional information on the child pornography suspect.
Toronto Police Services Board vice-chair Pam McConnell said Crime Stoppers saves the police time, money and leads to arrests where none would otherwise occur.
"It provides an invaluable variety of tips to police," McConnell said. "It has also given us tips we would have not known about before."
So far, since the introduction of the tip line more than 20 years ago, the program is responsible for 8,000 arrests, solving almost 13,000 cases, recovering $26,878,704 in stolen property and seizing $133,295,659.
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