Twenty-seven break-ins in Paget and Warwick in the last seven weeks has spurred Crime Stoppers Bermuda to make a public appeal for information.

Crime Stoppers Bermuda Deputy Chairman Joanna MacPhee said yesterday Police asked her to remind the public it offers rewards of up to $1,000 if a tip-off leads to catching the crook. ?There has been a rash of break-ins in the Paget and Warwick areas,? Mrs. MacPhee said on Sunday. ?Police have not made an arrest.?

There were 11 breaking and entering offences in Paget since mid-February, she said, and 16 in Warwick since early February.

?Most occur in the day, mainly in areas away from the road,? she said. ?In some ways they are not opportunistic crimes, they are looking for when people leave their properties. Sometimes a car is being used, or a pedal cycle,? she said.

Mrs. MacPhee warned the public in these parishes to secure their homes and urged anyone with any information about these break-ins to call the free-of-charge and confidential Crime Stoppers hotline? 1-800-623-TIPS. Assuring the confidential aspect of the hot-line, she said, callers do not even speak to Bermudians at the other end of the line.

All calls are answered in Miami, Florida, she said, by an American branch of the locally registered-charity.

?They forward the information to Crime Stoppers units in Bermuda. If we feel it is appropriate, we give it to Police,? she said. ?Police acting on a tip often do not even know the information came from Bermuda Crime Stoppers.?

A maximum of $1,000 reward may be collected leading to the arrest of a criminal, she said.

After calling the hotline, an attendant will ask the caller if they want a reward, and if so, will be given a code number, for example AR275, she said.

And after the crook is caught the code can be quoted and a reward dropped off at any location or time, she said, even if it is ?hide it in a Coke can under the fourth bush?.

With cruise ship season approaches, Crime Stoppers reminded the public it gets all cruise ship crew members to meet with a Senior Customs Officer about the dangers of drug importation. ?The programme is now into its third year and has resulted in a number of arrests of both crew and passengers with major seizures of illicit drugs on cruise ships,? it said.

Since its inception in 1996, Crime Stoppers Bermuda has received over 3,500 tips, resulting in 185 arrests, 367 cases cleared, over $1.5 million stolen property recovered, and just under $20 million of seized drugs, it said.

The charity also offers school clubs and students from CedarBridge and Berkeley attended Crime Stoppers International Conferences in Cincinnati, US and Calgary, Canada, it said.

Crime Stoppers was recently awarded a Commissioner?s Commendation by former-Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith for its determined, professional and invaluable assistance to Police operations.