“You can call us knowing no one will find out your identity. You will not be contacted again by police or anyone else or have to go to court.”
NEW advertisements from Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers have been unveiled that aim to reach people who unwittingly find themselves on the fringes of gang activity and gun violence and reach a “tipping point” about doing something about it.
The ad campaign delivers some plain talk about what to do if you learn someone close to you is involved in gang crime or possesses an illegal weapon.
When people call Crime Stoppers with an anonymous tip, they’ve usually been triggered to do so by a discovery, a feeling, or a sudden recognition that something is really wrong – “a tipping point”. The campaign centres on a couple of real and relatable scenarios illustrating that “tipping point” moment.
The ads end with the realization, “I had to tell someone, but he couldn’t know it was me” and an ANONYMOUS call to Crime Stoppers.
Scenario 1 -“When I found his gun”
A mom discovers her son’s illegal gun in a gym bag in his bedroom.
Scenario 2 -“When I realized his friends were gang members”
A girlfriend suspects her boyfriend is involved in gang activity, and sees him take part in a drug deal at a secluded parking lot near a public park.
A girlfriend suspects her boyfriend is involved in gang activity, and sees him take part in a drug deal at a secluded parking lot near a public park.
“We accept tips about all kinds of crime at Crime Stoppers, but these ads specifically target gun and gang crimes which remain an ongoing concern right across the Lower Mainland,” says Linda Annis, Executive Director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. “Our series of targeted ‘Guns and Gangs’ ad campaigns has always urged anyone at that ‘tipping point’ to anonymously call Crime Stoppers. When you know it’s the right thing to do, but don’t want to be identified, a tip to Crime Stoppers is the answer.
“Since we started these campaigns several years ago, tips to Crime Stoppers have resulted in 286 gang related arrests and 286 illegal weapons being seized. You can call us knowing no one will find out your identity. You will not be contacted again by police or anyone else or have to go to court.”
Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers has received funding for its Guns and Gangs campaign from the federal Guns and Gangs Violence Action Fund grant program, which is administered in British Columbia by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“Gang violence and illegal firearms have no place in our communities,” said Garry Begg, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “We know that these crimes put innocent people at risk and create fear in our neighbourhoods. Tackling organized crime requires a strong partnership between law enforcement, the justice system, government and people. That is why the Crime Stoppers ‘Guns and Gangs’ campaign is such an important tool in our shared commitment to tackling. The Crime Stoppers campaign empowers people to speak up and report suspicious activity anonymously, without fear of retaliation. Every tip, no matter how small, can help our law enforcement teams prevent violence, disrupt criminal networks and save lives.”
Since being established 41 years ago, more than 8,400 arrests have been made based on information received through anonymous crime tips of all kinds provided to Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, and half-a-billion dollars in property and drugs have been recovered.
