ALBUQUERQUE cop Greg MacAleese was finding nothing but dead ends and leads to nowhere when he began investigating the murder of a young college student back in 1976.

Michael Carmen had been gunned down during a robbery at a gas station where the undergraduate was working part-time to help ends meet. Blasted in the stomach with a 12-gauge shotgun, Michael clung to life for several hours but remained too weak to ever divulge details of his killers.

The slaying was made even more poignant by the fact that Michael was soon to get married and had taken on the extra shift that night to allow a colleague time off work.

With little physical evidence to help him, Det. MacAleese needed information, otherwise the case would most likely turn cold. But despite the tragic circumstances of Michael's death, the detective was getting no feedback from eye-witnesses who might be able to identify the brutal killers.

It was then that Det. MacAleese hit upon a fresh approach to tackling the crime. Having worked in newspapers before joining the force, he decided to approach friends in the media for their help.

The result was a video re-enactment of the murder and an appeal for information from the public, guaranteeing both anonymity and a cash reward for any tip-off that resulted in an arrest.

Sure enough, when the video was aired publicly on a local television station, memories were triggered and information started pouring in. Within three days, two men were arrested and later convicted of Michael's murder and a string of robberies.

That single case 30 years ago led to the birth of Crime Stoppers in Albuquerque. Since then the organisation has mushroomed, with more than 1,200 programmes throughout the world. Globally, the initiative has netted close to $7 billion worth of stolen property and illicit drugs and led to the arrest of 600,000 individuals.

And the statistics for Bermuda are equally impressive. Why? According to Crime Stoppers chairman Sean Pitcher, the reason is simple.

In a small community such as ours, it is perhaps understandable if eye-witnesses are reluctant to turn police informant. Fear of being identified as a "grass" can be a very strong demotivating factor.

A second possible hurdle is apathy ? a sense that it is the job of the police to solve crimes, not members of the public. Why get involved?

It is these two obstacles that Crime Stoppers erases. Bermuda callers to the Crime Stoppers telephone number are put through to a call centre in Miami and instantly given an identification number.

The informant can then use this code to identify themselves in all future dialogue and thus remain totally anonymous. There is no need for them to give their name and no way the call can be traced.

"We address the fear angle with the anonymity of the call," Mr. Pitcher said. "From the Crime Stoppers programme there's absolutely no way that that caller can be identified. You're speaking to someone in a foreign country, you're not going to be recognised, you're not even going to be charged for the phone call.

"The Miami centre simply takes the information and passes it on to the local co-ordinator. If it's what they deem to be urgent, for example a crime that's about to be committed, they'll put a call in to the co-ordinator immediately who has a dedicated phone line.

"Otherwise the information is transmitted and he'll get it the next day. Miami will want to know where you're calling from so that they can forward the information back to the relevant co-ordinator but the local information that you give to the person on the other end of the phone ? it really means nothing to them.

"I think the anonymity factor works in small communities. People are afraid of being identified and, let's be real, sometimes this information is coming from other criminals or people who are involved with criminals ? that's why they have the information in the first place."

Referring to the rise of gangs on the island, Mr. Pitcher said: "This programme is ideal because one of the things about gang culture is a move to make snitching a bad thing. It's a way for people who have information to get that information out and no one will ever no that they're involved.

"It's an excellent programme because it empowers people to take back their neighbourhoods. It's a way of conquering that fear and that apathy that people might have about getting involved with the police and they might not want to be seen with the police or are just worried about reprisals."

The opportunity of a cash reward counteracts the second stumbling block of apathy, although Mr. Pitcher pointed out that, although rewards can run into the thousands of dollars, many callers do not bother to collect their takings.

Crime Stoppers has paid out just $30,000 in its ten-year history, a sum Mr. Pitcher believes provides remarkably good value for money.

But if a caller wishes to remain anonymous, how can they collect a reward?

"If the information gets a result then we do offer a reward," said Mr. Pitcher.

"The caller, if they're interested, will call back to Miami, give their code and then we'll take it from there. Miami will say 'yes, there's a reward, how would you like that paid?'

"We pay in cash. We don't make a deposit into somebody's account or anything like that, there has to be a location. The caller will tell us how they want to be paid and if it's a case of putting some money in a soda can and leaving it in a trash can then that's what we do.

"The point is, we're not interested in who the information is coming from. This programme works because of the anonymity, which must be maintained at all times, even when a cash reward is being paid."

Despite his organisation's close links with the police and criminal fraternity, Mr. Pitcher was keen to stress that Bermuda Crime Stoppers is not a law enforcement agency. The organisation is a registered charity that depends on public donations for survival. All directors are volunteers, although the one full-time co-ordinator is paid by the Bermuda Police Service.

part of Mr. Pitcher's role is to maintain the organisation's high profile through advertising and promotional campaigns, both of which take up time and money.

On Sunday the organisation will be holding its annual 5K road race under the slogan 'Stop the violence and end the silence'.

"We have various programmes such as a scholastic programme, introducing Crime Stoppers into schools," he said.

"Recently we trialled a programme at Berkeley and CedarBridge where we formed Crime Stopper clubs. Berkeley produced a newsletter once a term and CedarBridge produced two adverts which they developed in connection with one of the local production companies. They wrote the scripts and performed.

"Another reason that we fundraise is that, if for instance if there was a serious incident and the Police came to us and asked us to place an ad or do a re-enactment, then we would have the funds for that.

"Crime Stoppers is an invaluable community resource that provides the public with a secure and anonymous way to assist law enforcement officials and to help keep Bermuda safe."

q The Crime Stoppers organisation enables anyone to provide information on criminal activity anonymously by calling 1-800-623-TIPS (8477).

The annual Crime Stoppers 5K Walk and Road Race will take place this Sunday, October 22. The deadline for entry is today, Friday, October 20, although late registration will be permitted on the morning of the event. Entry forms are available from the Argus Group, International Sports Shop, Sportseller and Sports 'R' Us. The race, which is sanctioned by the Bermuda Track and Field Association and sponsored by the Argus Group in association with Swan's Running Club, begins and ends at the Argus Building on Wesley Street. Walkers and junior runners start at 8.30 a.m. and adult runners begin at 9 a.m. New this year is a special incentive for teens to participate. All middle and senior students who compete will be eligible to win one of four Nano iPods. Additionally, the middle and senior school with the most students participating will each win a $1,000 gift voucher for sports equipment. As in previous years, there will be other prizes and giveaways.