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Crime Stoppers

Crime Stoppers Tasmania was established in February 1994. Its aim is to make Tasmania a safer and more secure State by actively involving the community and the media in the fight against crime.

Crime Stoppers is a non-profit, community-based, crime-solving organisation with reward money coming from funds raised through donations and sponsorship. Crime Stoppers Tasmania is administered by a Board of Directors.  The Board includes voluntary representatives from business, the community and Tasmania Police.

The primary objectives of Crime Stoppers are:

• To encourage the community’s involvement in the fight against crime by providing information to the police in order to protect the rights and property of members of the community; and
• To increase public awareness of the occurrence of criminal activity and the need for the community to assist in improving the effectiveness of law enforcement and emergency services provided by Tasmania Police.

What is Crime Stoppers?

Put simply, Crime Stoppers is a three-pronged approach to solving crime. It relies on cooperation between the police, the media and the general community to provide a flow of information about crime and criminals.

All information can be given anonymously, in a positive atmosphere free from fear of retribution or reprisal.

How does it work?

• Crime Stoppers provides a dedicated 24-hour telephone line for receiving information about criminal and illegal activity, which may solve or assist to solve crime;
• All callers remain totally anonymous: no names are necessary, even when collecting a reward;
• Callers may be entitled to a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the charging or arrest of offenders, or if drugs or stolen goods are recovered;
• Only a code number, given to you at the time of providing your information, will identify you;
• Rewards are made payable at a branch of one of Australia’s largest banks and can be collected - in cash - by quoting your code number (you do not need an account with the bank);
• Calls are not traced or recorded;
• Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to the Calling Number Display facility.

Crime Stoppers is working

Since its inception in Tasmania in 1994, Crime Stoppers has achieved the following outstanding results:

• More than 29,000 telephone calls have been received,
• More than 2,550 arrests have been made as a result of information received,
• Over 13,000 serious charges laid,
• About $4.5 million worth of stolen/damaged property recovered, and
• Over $3.9 million worth of drugs seized.

The success of the program cannot be judged purely on statistics, as there are other benefits, such as:

• Greater awareness in the community of any specific criminal activity causing concern;
• A willingness by the community to become involved in the fight against crime; and
• Enhanced relationships between the community, the media and police.

How did it all begin?

In 1976, a detective in Albuquerque, New Mexico, felt frustrated that crime in his city was escalating at an alarming rate: the community appeared to be apathetic and frightened of retribution from the criminal element.

Greg MacAleese, a journalist turned policeman, was that  officer.  He had exhausted all possible leads in a particularly brutal murder case, when he decided to try an unorthodox approach. He arranged for a re-enactment of the murder to be shown on a local TV station and invited viewers to ring him with information.

In return he offered them anonymity and the possibility of a cash reward if the information led to an arrest.  An arrest was made within five days of the re-enactment being shown and Crime Stoppers, as we know it today, commenced. Today there are more than 1,000 Crime Stoppers programmes run worldwide.

Help Crime Stoppers to put the finger on crime

Please call the toll free number on 1800 333 000.