Crime Stoppers’ 2023 stats show big drop in property, drug seizures

Regina Crime Stoppers got more tips in 2023 that resulted in more cases being cleared than the year before, but significantly less property and drugs were recovered.

In its yearly statistical report released Thursday, Crime Stoppers said it received 771 tips in 2023, up from the 715 received in 2022.

But the data showed that only $800 worth of property was recovered, down from $617,200 in 2022. And there weren’t any drugs seized last year, a decrease from the $66,700 worth of drugs seized one year earlier.

According to a release, the number of seizures was “down significantly due to the nature of the types of crimes that received tips. This can fluctuate year over year based on the type of tip and subsequent investigation.”

(Regina Crime Stoppers/Submitted)

Crime Stoppers has received 26,177 tips since its inception in 1984. More than 1,950 charges have been laid and $12.2 million in stolen property and drugs have been recovered through the anonymous tips.

Last year, $6,375 for 25 rewards were approved in 2023, but only nine were actually claimed.

“For me, it speaks to a willingness for someone just to make a difference in the community, to really being part of having people held accountable for crimes that have been committed and not doing it for the monetary value but doing it to make a difference in the community,” Deputy Police Chief Lorilee Davies said during a media conference.

However, she also acknowledged that perhaps some people might not be aware of how to claim rewards.

“I think the outreach that Crime Stoppers does in terms of walking people through the process is really second to none, so I would like to think that it’s the former not the latter,” she said.

The process of claiming rewards is handled anonymously.

Cory Little, vice-president of finance with Regina Crime Stoppers, said the organization wants to expand its community outreach in 2024.

“We’re trying to get into the schools more,” Little said. “We’re always looking at community centres to approach new Canadians on the program (and) on the work that the (Regina Police Service) does to try and get that word out there.

“I think the goal of our community outreach for 2024 is just to get the word out there (to) try and increase the tips and just create awareness about our program.”

According to the statistics, 25 per cent of the tips received through Crime Stoppers were for drug-related crimes, 25 per cent were for property-related crimes (theft, mischief, break and enter, etc.), 20 per cent were for violent offences (murder, assaults, etc.), 15 per cent were for wanted people, eight per cent were for traffic-related offences (impaired driving, driving without a licence, etc.), and seven per cent were for other purposes (missing persons, suspicious vehicles, etc.).

More information on Crime Stoppers is available in this video.