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Crime Stoppers of Halton
The Tipster
The Tipster
Volume 7, Issue 1
August 2013
Crime Stoppers Outreach to Halton High School Students
- Halton Crime Stoppers’
new Police Coordinator, Detective
Constable Paul Proteau, plans to
bring more awareness of Crime
Stoppers to local high school students
through presentations. Paul will
inform students of the important role
that tips make to Crime Stoppers in
solving crimes and the role they can
assume in keeping their schools and
Halton safe. Often times a new high
school student, such as a Grade 9
student, is afraid to “snitch” on a fellow student for fear of repercussion. Paul,
who has previously worked as a high school liaison officer, has a great rapport
with teens and plans to use this experience in his presentations. Students will
be given information on how tips are provided and processed. The anonymity
of the program will be stressed as well as the ease of providing information.
Tipsters can provide information by telephone, text and web. Armed with
technology skills, students are more comfortable in embracing these methods.
It is hoped that through this awareness campaign, the number of tips will
increase and that Halton high schools will be among the safest in Ontario.
Anna Deane
Don’t Make Your Trash an Identity Thief’s Treasure
Laurèn Phillips - On Saturday, April 13, Crime Stoppers of Halton partnered once
again with Shred-it for the Community Shred-it event. This event raised a much
needed $4,300 between its two locations: Dorval Crossing East in Oakville
and MM Robinson High School in Burlington. Crime Stoppers promoted the
safe disposal of personal documents that could potentially be used to steal
your identity. The shredding of consumers’ confidential documents can help
protect individuals and businesses
against this threat along with data
breaches and other types of fraud.
Shred-it trucks were on site from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. and the community
was encouraged to bring all the
documents they could carry for
shredding. Donations ranged from
$5 per bag to $15 per large box.
Stay tuned for future Community
Shreds in your neighbourhood.
Statistics since Inception
Tips
Arrests
Cases Solved
Weapons
Recovered
Property
Recovered
Rewards Paid
Drugs Seized
13,456
1,006
2,032
74
$2,396,162
$54,065
$17,225,565
In this issue...
Crime Fighters meet in
Sault Ste. Marie
SEE PAGE 2
How does Crime Stoppers
Really Work?
SEE PAGE 3
Teeing it Forward
at Glen Abbey
SEE PAGE 4
Burlington Restaurants Partner
to Fight Crime
SEE PAGE 4
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The Tipster
Crime Stoppers of Halton Attends Ontario Association of Crime Stoppers Conference
Claire Gibson, Secretary - “Oh
no! Not yet another conference!” Many
people might feel this way after learning they are required to
attend a work conference believing they’ll be burdened with
a series of long and boring meetings. Well, this was not at all
my experience, after attending the annual OACS Provincial
Conference in Sault Ste. Marie in early June. In fact, I felt as
though I’d found a stronger voice as a member on the Crime
Stoppers of Halton Board of Directors.
Upon our arrival, a group of energetic and friendly faces from
the Crime Stoppers of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Districts
greeted us to provide us with our agenda packed full of
fun activities, informative guest speakers and educational
workshops. As a new Board Member with Crime Stoppers
who was still learning the “ins and outs” of becoming involved
with the organization, I was quickly put at ease and felt very
much part of an energetic and purposeful team.
The four-day Conference was well organized and full of ideas
and innovation... oh, and did I mention FUN? A “gangster”
themed dinner at a local restaurant one evening was a
demonstration of how outgoing the collective group of Crime Stoppers volunteers were, in addition to being
focused on the material and content delivered during the Conference.
Crime Stoppers programs came together in a series of workshops and break-out sessions to collaborate and
share best practices. Boards were happy to share how they worked effectively with their community partners
and media outlets in communicating to the public. There is no doubt that our work as Crime Stoppers would
not be possible without our generous sponsors and supporters.
What impressed me most about the conference
was that so many people with a passion for our
individual communities gather and volunteer to
make our neighbourhoods safe. Crime Stoppers
is a true collaborative effort between the
Regional Police and RCMP and the independent
Board of Directors who represent each region.
The safety and confidentiality of “tipsters” is of
utmost importance and there is no “vigilante”
mandate but rather a group of concerned
citizens working towards a safer town or city.
Effort into making the process of reporting
criminal activity and communicating Crime
Stoppers’ integrity was a theme very clear in
every guest speaker’s message and workshop during the Conference.
Since each Crime Stoppers’ Board is operated with the support and passion of volunteers within each region,
fundraising is critical to effectively serve the community. Attracting and leveraging fundraising events with
organizations and businesses is a strategy that has continued to help Crime Stoppers be recognized by many as
a worthwhile initiative.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can support Crime Stoppers through sponsorship, hosting
a fundraising event or perhaps becoming a member of the Board of Directors, please contact Laurèn Phillips at
haltoncrimestoppers@cogeco.net.
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The Tipster
Crime Stoppers - A Great Tool in the Halton Police Arsenal
While Crime Stoppers is not the only investigative tool in the Halton Police arsenal, it has great
potential and facilitates, charges, recovery of stolen property, seizure of illegal drugs and arrests. In 2012
Crime Stoppers of Halton reported 983 anonymous tips. This led to 21 arrests, 46 charges, recovery of
over $29,000 worth of stolen property and seizure of $307,900 of illegal drugs. To date, Crime Stoppers
of Halton received over 567 tips, giving Halton Regional Police Service a number of investigative leads.
Anna Deane -
Anonymity is the cornerstone of Crime Stoppers. It
plays an important role in encouraging the public
to report crimes. People must be convinced that
identities are protected and that information provided
could be an important lead in solving a crime. As a
result, each tipster is assured that his or her identity
will not be revealed. If the call-taker recognizes
the tipster, the call is immediately transferred to an
outside Crime Stoppers operator. Similarly, Crime
Stoppers records cannot be subpoenaed by defense
lawyers. The request will be denied in Canadian
courts. Information provided by tipsters is not
evidence; it serves to guide a police investigator in the
right direction, a direction which may not have been
considered originally, but may lead to solving a crime.
While not all tips lead to an arrest, the public is encouraged to continue to call in. A tip that may
seem insignificant may solve a case and make a huge difference in the life of a devastated family!
Tips can be made anonymously 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by texting TIP201 plus your
message to CRIMES (274637), or online: www.haltoncrimestoppers.com
Rewards for Tipsters leading to an Arrest
A tipster who provides information that leads to an arrest or conviction may be eligible for a financial reward up
to $2,000. Because no information is taken on the caller, a deserving tipster cannot be called back to receive a
reward. Tipsters are therefore provided with an identification number and are advised to call back in a few weeks to
determine if a reward is available. Rewards are delivered to a drop-off location for the tipster to pick up anonymously.
At Halton Crime Stoppers it has been our experience that tipsters are mostly interested in providing relevant
information in an effect to do what is right. The lack of interest in financial compensation as a reward
is evident in our 2012 statistics. Less than 25% of eligible tipsters collected their rewards. This is a heartwarming conviction that our citizens are more interested in solving crimes and keeping their community safe.
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The Tipster
Big Win for all at Glen Abbey
- With
the sun shining
and 16 degree
weather, it was
the perfect day for
the June 3rd Crime
Stoppers of Halton
Annual
Charity
Golf Tournament.
Crime
Stoppers
of Halton teamed
up with Shredit to make this
Golf Tournament the best one yet, bringing in close to $19,000. 120
golfers enjoyed lunch at Glen Abbey, a round of 18 holes, an oyster bar
hosted by Jake’s Grill and Oyster House, as well as dinner and awards.
Laurèn Phillips
Crime Stoppers of
Halton
1151 Bronte Road
Oakville, Ontario
L6M 3L1
Contact us at:
haltoncrimestoppers@cogeco.net
Phone: 905-825-4747 x 5139
www.haltoncrimestoppers.com
Board of Directors:
Norman Bellefontaine - Chair
Dianne Hartwick - Vice Chair
Jan Westcott - Vice Chair
Samantha Coysh- Treasurer
Claire Gibson - Secretary
Kimberly Calderbank - Director
Sumantra Datta-Ray - Director
George Guedikian - Director
Gary McLean - Director
D/Cst. Paul Proteau - Police
Coordinator
Laurèn Phillips - Administrative
Coordinator
A safer community is
your call!
Golfers made their way across the legendary Glen Abbey Golf Course, playing
a scramble format. Not only did golfers have the chance to compete for
first place in the tournament, but they also had the opportunity to win cash
by trying the same memorable bunker shot Tiger Woods took on the same
18th Hole back in 2000. Other competitions included Putting for Scotch,
Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin. Participants even had the chance to
win amazing prizes such as a Hole-in-One prize of a 2013 Fiat, sponsored by
Lockwood Chrysler and tickets to the Masters, sponsored by Investors Group.
Crime Stoppers of Halton Posters Go Up in
Restaurants Across Burlington
The Burlington Bar and
Restaurant Association (BRA) have stepped
up to spread the Crime Stoppers message
by displaying posters at several restaurants
across Burlington. The posters contain the
image of a bartender with the caption, “Your
Server is not the only one Looking for a TIP!”
Laurèn Phillips -
Crime Stoppers makes it easier for
tipsters to pass along information
anonymously
by
phone,
website,
text and through a mobile bar code,
which when scanned, takes a mobile device user directly to the website.
The goal of this initiative is to attract more tips regarding criminal
activity. Participating restaurants include Emma’s Back Porch, Joe Dog’s
Gasbar and Grill, Gator Ted’s, Rude Native, SB Prime, Eatalia, Pluckers
on Plains Road, Pluckers on Walker’s Line, Honey West, The Martini
House, The Queen’s Head, QB’s, Boston Manor and Judge and Jury.