Busy, successful 2018 for Saskatoon Crime Stoppers

Saskatoon Crime Stoppers is out with its record-breaking stats for 2018.

The non-profit organization received 1,618 tips last year, compared to 1,447 in 2017.

Constable Ryan Ehalt credits the quality of the information provided for helping police lay 232 charges.

“The better the information provided in the tip, the better chance of us going out and finding that person and arresting them,” Ehalt said. “We really are looking for the diamonds in the rough.”

In 2018, Crime Stoppers approved 40 cash rewards for the information provided to them worth $10,000.

The previous year, only 17 cash awards were given.

But, it seems that most people aren’t calling in tips on criminal activity for the reward money.

“For the last two years, only about a third of people have claimed their cash rewards,” Ehalt said.

A big part of Crime Stoppers operation is social media.

During 2018, the Saskatoon chapter posted on Facebook 360 times.

Those posts often include pictures or video footage of suspects from surveillance systems.

Ehalt is encouraging businesses with surveillance systems to consider what kind of images it produces.

“Get good cameras, get good video,” he said. “So that way if the unthinkable happens we actually have an avenue to assist you.”

He explains that if the video is too grainy it may not help to identify suspects.

The Saskatoon Crime Stoppers Facebook page saw exponential growth last year.

Its posts reached 12.48 million people, compared to 4.58 million in 2017.

According to the group, with more than 31,000 followers the Saskatoon chapter’s Facebook page is the most followed Crime Stoppers page in North America.