January 15, 2006 - 4:00pm
January is Crime Stoppers month and Malaspina University-College is doing its part to enhance safety at the Nanaimo campus.
On Thursday, January 19 Malaspina and Nanaimo & District Crime Stoppers officially launch a new partnership to make the campus safer for students, employees and visitors.
New signage will be posted at main entrances to parking lots and near busy stairways to alert students, staff and potential criminals that the Crime Stoppers program is in full force.
During Thursday’s launch, information booths will be set up on campus to raise awareness among students and staff about vehicle, home, personal and community safety. Community policing representatives will be available to discuss free services available to the public to increase home and vehicle safety, including the Security Survey Team (SST) and the Insurance Corporation of BC’s Lock it Or Lose It Program.
"This new partnership between Malaspina University-College and Crime Stoppers is a terrific example of a pro-active community approach to crime prevention," said Dr. Patrick Ross, vice-president Malaspina’s Faculty of Student Services. "It makes sense to introduce the Crime Stoppers program at the Nanaimo campus because Malaspina has grown into a large community serving over 10,000 students."
Chuck Campbell, first vice-president of Nanaimo District Crime Stoppers, and a retired member of the RCMP after serving for 25 years, said no neighborhood or community is immune from crime.
"It touches all our lives in one form or another," he said. "That’s why partnerships between Crime Stoppers and organizations like Malaspina are so important to the wellbeing of our community. When we work together, we achieve so much more."
Crime Stoppers, a partnership between the media, community organizations and the RCMP, offers up to $2,000 in cash rewards to anonymous persons who call in with information leading to an arrest. Now a world-wide organization, Crime Stoppers has helped police solve over a half a million crimes and recovered over $5-billion worth of stolen property and narcotics. Today, there are over 1,000 Crime Stoppers programs in countries around the world.
Since 1995, Nanaimo & District Crime Stoppers has received almost 2,000 tips that have resulted in over $5-million in property and drugs being seized. Over $50,000 has been paid in tip rewards.
The local program is a civilian, non-profit, community organization dedicated to assisting police in solving crime in the Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Gabriola Island areas. As there is no government funding, Nanaimo & District Crime Stoppers relies totally on community support.
Trained Crime Stoppers volunteers run the program and raise money to pay for the tips. The media provides pertinent information to the public, and the community donates funds, products or services, and participates in the anonymous program to report criminal activity. Crime Stoppers gives the anonymous tips to the RCMP, who then investigate the criminal activity.
Tags: In the Community
