Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 27/99) - In a crowded bank there is an envelope full of reward money. It is waiting to be picked up by a person who called in a tip to Crime Stoppers. The envelope has a fake name on it and the bank attendant does not know the envelope is for a Crime Stoppers tipster.

The procedure goes as planned. The police have made an arrest and the helpful tipster picks up a reward without the fear of being identified.

Graham Hodgis, president of the NWT Crime Stoppers division, said Crime Stoppers provides an alternative for people who are uncomfortable calling the police with information about a crime. Confidentiality is crucial and it is ensured 100 per cent.

"We don't want to know who they (the tipsters) are," said Hodgis. "The main purpose is to keep the anonymity of the tipster. The line is not traced and we do not subscribe to caller ID.

"When they call in they are assigned a code number. It's kept very generic. No gender is used and if a person has an accent it is not noted. Everything is made anonymous before it is handed to the (RCMP) liaison and then to the investigating officer."

Crime Stoppers has been in the NWT for 10 years and takes in approximately 200 calls a year, half of which are from the communities. With the help of tips going to Crime Stoppers, the RCMP in the NWT recovered $44,000 worth of illegal drugs and $33,000 worth of stolen property in 1997.

The rewards for tips come out of revenue from fund-raising and donations from community service groups that the local Crime Stoppers board solicits. The board is made up of civilian volunteers who are elected into the positions by board members.

The maximum amount that can be awarded for a tip is $2,000, but it has to lead to an arrest before the tipster is eligible. The board does have the power to increase the reward amount in the case of a serious crime such as murder.

Hodgis said tipsters don't have to wait to see a Crime Stoppers advertisement in order to call in a crime. He said any information that a person has regarding any suspected criminal activity is taken by the Crime Stoppers phone attendants and goes through an investigation process by police.

The Crime Stoppers toll-free number is 1-800-661-0899. Anyone calling from the western or eastern NWT will be transferred to the Yellowknife Crime Stoppers division.