More money paid out so far this year by Crime Stop than all of 2017.

More calls, more guns seized, more money paid out so far this year than all of 2017

WITH THREE months still remaining in the year, Crime Stop is reporting that it has paid out $5.7 million this year – more than double the $2.4 million it rewarded Jamaicans for the whole of last year. It also aided with the seizure of 46 illegal firearms so far this year, 22 more than all of last year.

Crime Stop is a private sector-funded initiative that facilitates members of the public sharing information about crimes anonymously. The identity of the whistle-blowers remain a secret even when they collect the rewards offered for information leading to seizure of guns and other contraband, an arrest or a conviction.

Speaking at a

Gleaner Editors’

Forum at the company’s North

Street Offices yesterday, in recognition of the organisation’s

29th anniversary,

Prudence Gentles, manager of the National Crime Prevention Fund, pointed out that Crime Stop has this year seen significant increases in many key areas for the period January 1 to August 31 when compared to last year.

These include:

A total of 816 tips (calls) have been received during the period this year compared with 514 for last year. The success rate in terms of tips also increased from one in eight calls during the period last year to one in seven calls for the same period this year.

The number of successful calls during the period also increased from 62 last year to 106 this year. Noting that September has been a phenomenal month for the organisation, through the seizure of seven guns in particular, Gentles lauded Crime Stop’s CS311 programme, a miniseries that dramatises unsolved crimes, especially murders.

The CS311 programme was discontinued in 2010 due to the lack of funding but returned to the air in May last year with one show each week since then.

“It seems to be awakening people’s interest in helping to fight crime,” she contended.

Head of the police Criminal Investigation Branch, Acting Assistant Commissioner McArthur Sutherland, also applauded the efforts of Crime Stop, pointing out that it had greatly assisted in the seizure of 519 illegal firearms so far this year.

“I am really grateful for the support of Crime Stop. It has provided us with another credible means of channelling information from the public to us and, importantly, assisted us with removing hundreds of illegal firearms from the streets,” he stated.

“It has been very important in giving us that sort of support in ridding the street of the firearms and drugs, and equally, helping us to identify the criminal suspects in our criminal investigations.”