Crime Stoppers plead for $$$

The Crime Stoppers Network has embarked on a mission to attain the support of the local business community to keep the programme up and running. At a Crime Stoppers Convention held yesterday at the Hilton Trinidad, Devrol Dupigny, General Manager of Crime Stoppers, revealed statistics as to the success of the recently re-launched programme in the fight against escalating crime in the country.

The project, he explained, was officially established in 1999, however, it was re-launched last March. During this four-year period, he maintained, not much was accomplished. However, since last March, approximately 4,461 calls have been received, which has translated into 2,009 tips of valuable information. As a result of this, 220 persons have been arrested and 915 investigations cleared. Additionally, Dupigny stated, since the wide scale marketing of the programme began last month, they have witnessed an increase in the number of calls received. “For the period January 25 to August 5, we have received 905 calls and within that, 491 valuable tips,” he said. “Before that, we received between 40 to 50 tips.” “This shows a tenfold increase in the number of tips being received,” he went on.

Dupigny maintained that presently an average of 17 to 20 persons are being arrested per month, which demonstrates a 200 percent increase in the number of arrests. Prior to this, between eight and ten arrests were made. “This shows,” he noted, “that the public is now more aware and better educated which is evident from the quality of calls we are receiving.” However, he stated, although the statistics show a fully educated public, much more commitment is needed. He said that while Government had pledged to inject $3 million into the project, more than $7 million was needed to keep the programme operational. He said, “We have embarked on this aggressive drive to get the business community to come forward and put their money where their mouth is.” “The Police need information to detect criminal activity.

The statistics speak for themselves. Crime Stoppers is working,” he asserted. Also calling on the business community to band together in the fight against crime was Balliram Maharaj, CEO of the Arima Discount Mart and former President of the Arima Business Association. Speaking not in his capacity as a businessman but as a victim of kidnapping, Maharaj said, “Crime is everybody’s business and is impacting on our lives. As we proceed today, let us not focus on who is to blame or who is responsible, but rather let us bond together to create collaborative strategies that would get rid of this monstrous crime virus that is now affecting our nation,” he said. Last August, Maharaj’s son, Ishwar, was also a victim of kidnapping.