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NEWS ® Continued from page 31 the 30-year run of Crime Stoppers in Halton due to anonymous tips received from the public, and she'd like to talk about them, but she ean't. She said the public will have to be satisfied know- ing that their information, submitted. to the. Crime Stoppers. telephone line, website or by text, may have been the difference in solving a case and leading to the arrest of suspects, the seizure of drugs and/or weapons and possibly the return of stolen property to its rightful owners. Detectives from Halton police follow up on every anonymous tip that comes C - . My ve | SR yore aa in from the public through Crime Stoppers, said Rich- mond. However, Crime Stop- pers is not the police. Each entity is an independent, non-profit, registered char- ity that helps solve crimes by taking tips from anony- mous sources. No names are taken through Crime Stoppers and caller ID is not used. Rewards can be paid out anonymously to people whose tips lead to an arrest although Richmond noted that many people eligible for areward don't pursueit. The Halton program is one of 87 in Canada with more than 1,700 Crime Stoppers programs around the world. Vn al Tay ( =) ays) ~~) pr ~~), V) # Of) IDE Crime Stoppers of Hal- ton held a 30th anniversary event at the Halton Region headquarters on Bronte Road in Oakville on Jan. 23. Richmond and Jan Westcott, vice-chair of Hal- ton Crime Stoppers, ad- dressed a small crowd that included several of the pro- gram's many volunteers. Also in attendance were Halton police Chief Ste- phen Tanner and area poli- ticians Eleanor McMahon, John Oliver and Kevin Flynn. Oakville Chamber of Commerce president John Sawyer, one of the speak- ers, said safety is the prime concern of many commu- nities. "Some colleagues of i ; Early Registration Date Feb 13 Check out some new and exciting camps like LEGO Animation, Archery & Fencing, Aspiring Artist and Trailblazers www.milton.ca/camps eAMILY mine with chambers in California struggled with what to do for communities in need. I thought it (pub- lic's priority) would be eco- nomic development but the No. 1 need was the need to feel safe," said Sawyer. The highlight of the Crime Stoppers anniversa- ry evening was a $50,000 do- nation from Eeonomical Insurance to Halton Crime Stoppers. The company has donated about $500,000 ° to various Crime Stoppers programs across Canada. An independent organi- zation, Crime Stoppers is governed by a volunteer board of directors. It un- veiled its 2018 theme last month, modified slightly from last year's - to See Halton program receives récord-number of tips last year: Something, Hear Some- thing, Know Something, Contact Crime Stoppers. Halton Crime Stoppers' cumulative statistics for its 30 years of operation in- clude the receipt of more than 18,000 tips that were directly responsible for 2,172 cases being declared cleared along with the ar- rest-of 1,185 individuals, the recovery of more than $2.7 million in stolen property "and the seizure of $18.1 mil- lion worth of drugs. There were 1,504 anony- mous tips left with the pro- gram in Halton in 2017, the most ever. The police's in- creased presence on social media is being credited in part by police, for that sta- tistical improvement. » JOIN US FOR 3 yoR2 PEER "TRE : In the history of Crime Stoppers worldwide, going back to its origins with an unsolved murder of a gas station attendant in Albu- querque, New Mexico in 1976, anonymous tips have led to nearly 1.7 million ar- rests, nearly 2.6 million cases cleared, $3.3 billion in property recovered and nearly $11.8 billion in drugs - seized. : There are three ways to submit tips to Crime Stop- pers: visit haltoncrimes- toppers.ca and go to a se- cure website link that.en- crypts your information, call 1-800-222-TTPS (8477) or text a message to CRIMES (274637) and put TIP201 at the beginning of the body of the message. FUN on FAMILY Pa oe . ILY Day Visit the following Town facilities for free family fun: Mattamy National Cycling-Centre Milton Sports Centre Milton Leisure Centre : For schedules and details please isit www.milton.ca/familyday , 4 : - a 8 4 Rt cn > wo 8102 woo uojeyapisul » g Aienugad 'Aepsiny) | uoidwey) wepeued uo | r