This is the version of the story which the Library received. For some reason some of the original story was omitted. However, this is the way the story appeared in the newspaper supplement.

Crimes are being solved, and the bad guys are going to jail, thanks to a three-way partnership between Police, the public and the media.

It was in 1995 that Crime Stoppers was officially-launched, with then-Premier David Saul and Police Commissioner Colin Coxall each giving their full support to the project which offers cash rewards to those who provide information regarding acts of crime.

Based on an idea first put into practice in New Mexico more than 20 years ago, the scheme has blossomed into a vital part of Bermuda's crime fighting mechanism.

"Crime Stoppers in a confidential police information gathering system, created to help detect crime and arrest offenders, '' explained David Carruthers, the group's vice-chairman. "It is a three-way partnership between the Police, the public and the media. All three have a part to play and the participation of each is vital. Anyone with information about criminals or crime can call a toll-free telephone number, 1-800-623-8477 and talk anonymously to a specially trained police operative. We absolutely guarantee two things; first, your call cannot be traced, and second, we will not ask your name, nor make any attempt to identify you.

"Our primary concern is protecting the anonymity of the caller. We protect that at all costs and because it is anonymous, we get an average of one call per working day. The Police code-a-phone only gets one call a month. And whilst a lot of the information doesn't lead to the recovery of narcotics, it contributes to the background. And, I must say, we do not exercise any judgement over what happens to the information. It's not always appropriate that immediate action be taken. The Police don't act purely on a Crime Stoppers tip. It's only a piece of information on which the Police have to build a case. A lot of it is useful background information but some results in immediate recovery.'' According to Crime Stoppers Chairman, McNeil Warner, the idea was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico with the death of a service station owner.

"Six weeks after the night Michael Carmen was killed, despite their best efforts, the Police had made no progress towards solving this hideous crime,'' he said. "One of the two detectives working on this murder case was a determined young officer named Greg MacAlesse, and out of desperation, he approached the manager of a local TV station and asked if they would re-enact the crime on one of their newscasts.

"The rest of the story is legend. The morning after the broadcast, a young man called the detective. He reported that he had heard the shotgun blast and that shortly thereafter, a car with two men inside had passed him at high speed heading away from the gas station. He thought he recognised the car as belonging to a resident of a nearby apartment complex. This information was the missing link needed to solve the murder. By finding the killers' getaway vehicle, Police were able to trace one of the gunmen. The second man was soon arrested and another six armed robberies were solved as a result of this investigation. The crime was solved within 72 hours of the tip being received.'' Neither the officers nor the two criminals had any idea of the good that would come from that success, added group treasurer, David Pugh.

"The two criminals who gunned down Michael Carmen at his Albuquerque gas station in July 1976 had no idea that they would be responsible for a world-wide anti-crime movement that has resulted in around half a million major crimes being solved,'' he said. "They didn't realise, that as a result of their cold-blooded and pointless killing, more than 80,000 criminals would find themselves behind bars. Nor did they realise that their crime would become the model for two major television network shows.

"This was the birth of Crime Stoppers, and under the energy and commitment of Greg MacAleese, ever since then it just hasn't stopped growing. Albuquerque Crime Stoppers became Crime Stoppers USA, and Crime Stoppers USA became Crime Stoppers International. There are now more than 1,200 Crime Stoppers programmes operating in over 20 countries.'' Crime Stoppers received 454 calls -- more than one a day -- in its first year of operation, said Mr. Carruthers.

"If you could visualise a success cycle for Crime Stoppers, it would begin with a Police facility supported by public awareness, which is of course, created by the media. We clearly tell the public how they can assist Crime Stoppers -- which is by providing information about our unsolved crimes and by donating money for our reward fund and publicity expenses.

"The public's response produces results -- cases being solved by the Police and rewards being paid, and these results are then publicised by the media which causes more awareness, more response and better results. This is the cycle we have now created in Bermuda.'' An initiative which began under former Police Commissioner, Lennie Edwards and his assistant, Wayne Perinchief, each of Crime Stoppers' three arms worked then, as they do today, to complement their partners, he explained.

Working to stomp out crime we make no bones about it, it is our intention to make Crime Stoppers Bermuda a real FORCE in our community,'' he said. "(As our first Police liaison officer, Asst. Commissioner) Perinchief did a fine job of getting things started and his successor, Archie Husbands continues to provide invaluable assistance and wise advice to both the civilian board and his dedicated Police team. We are very fortunate to have as our first Public Relations Director, Evelyn James Barnett, who has done a tremendous job of co-ordinating efforts to get Crime Stoppers firmly established in the public psyche. "The public involvement is led by the chairman of the eleven-person Board of Directors, McNeil Warner. The other directors come from many different sectors of the community -- the banks, insurance companies, small businesses, churches, the media, concerned citizens and, of course, the Island's service clubs. "The third side to the triangle, the media, has also responded well to the challenge. The radio and TV stations, and all the print media have been extremely supportive and have played their part to perfection.'' Most major crimes are not solved by brilliant investigation, rather as a direct result of information provided by the public, explained Mr. Warner, and this is how the scheme achieves its success. "However, many citizens are reluctant to provide this information for two reasons -- fear and apathy. The Crime Stoppers programme attempts to overcome these two barriers. For those people who are afraid of retaliation from the criminal element, we have created a system that allows callers to remain completely anonymous. And for those citizens who are apathetic, our system provides cash rewards for any information which contributes to an arrest, a charge being laid, or to the recovery of drugs or stolen goods. "We have set up an operations room capable of receiving telephone calls 24 hours a day, manned by specially appointed Police liaison officers. Each call is logged and a code number is assigned to the caller, Once the caller's information has been collected, it is then passed on to the Police officer responsible for the case in question for appropriate action.

The callers are invited to call back a day or so later and to identify themselves with the code number. When, or if they call back, the results of their tips are made known to them and the question of a reward is discussed if appropriate and if desired. The majority of the callers -- roughly 75 percent -- are not interested in the reward. They are primarily interested in seeing justice done.'' The amount paid as a reward, Mr. Warner added, is determined by a sub-committee of the Civilian Board using a points system ranging from 10 points for a serious crime such as murder down to 1 point for such lesser offences as criminal property damage or joy riding. Further points are awarded depending on: The number of persons arrested The number of crimes solved The property value recovered The weapons recovered Exceptional drug seizures "The rewards, while meaningful, are not designed to be overly generous and range in size from $50 to $1,000,'' said Mr. Warner. "To date, Crime Stoppers Bermuda has paid rewards totalling $10,000. Payment is made as simply as possible without compromising the identity of the tipster. In the USA, payments are collected from such people and places as bank officers, insurance companies and dry cleaning stores. Any publicly used facility will do. Of course, if the caller wants to arrange a drop-off, that too will be accommodated. This last method has become, I understand, the usual method The National Drug Commission (NDC) is a generous supporter of Crime Stoppers.

Shown, chairman McNeil Warner (bottom left), accepts a generous donation on behalf of his agency Stompy, the mascot for Crime Stoppers Bermuda DRUGS SUPPLEMENT DGS