The Crime Stopper switchboard will be set up at Police Headquarters in Prospect in the Criminal Records office. Detective Constable Brian Callaghan and Detective Constable Kim Vickers are the two Police officers who will be handling the incoming phone calls. Det. Con. Callaghan said the switchboard will be in the Criminal Records office because the information about crimes which have been committed on the Island are kept there. "It is just logical for it to be here because all the crime files and criminal records are here,'' said Det. Con. Callaghan. A lot of names come through the office even if the people are not convicted, added Det. Con. Vickers. Det. Con. Callaghan said the Criminal Records office also communicates with Interpol and they "speak to the Federal Bureau of Investigations every day.'' He said they were selected to man the switchboard because of this experience which will be necessary for dealing with people who call Crime Stoppers with information.

Det. Con. Callaghan said they had the ability to ask the right questions of telephone callers because they were used to dealing with people on the phone.

He said when someone called Crime Stoppers, the officer who was there at the time would record the information but would make no attempt to discover names, Police need crime data to fill in gaps Stoppers phone line to say "so and so is pushing drugs'' the officers have to ask the right questions to get the details involved. He added "that is if they (the callers) know the details.'' Det. Con. Vickers said Police are looking for details about where, when and how things are happening. "We know what they are doing but we need to be able to catch them doing it,'' she explained. She said what the Police needed was the information to fill in the gaps. An example would be cycle theft, explained Det. Con. Callaghan. He said the Police know who is stealing the bikes but want to know where they are all going and what the thieves are doing with them. There may also be people involved with the crimes that the Police do not know, he added. He said Police would like to know about these people as well because it may help form a connection with the people they already know about but have not been able to convict. And if someone calls in information the Police already know about, there will not be a reward, said Det. Con. Vickers. Det. Con. Callaghan said only Det. Con. Vickers and himself would be answering the phone and they were separated from the rest of the Criminal Records office to ensure privacy. Det.

Con. Vickers said the Bermuda Telephone Company had programmed their computer so that the calls can not be traced by either the Police or Telco. Det. Con.

Callaghan said the Police would get billed for the calls but they would not be able to see who had called them on their statements from Telco. He explained that in the United Kingdom, Crime Stopper switchboard operators had been asked to appear in court by defence lawyers trying to discover informants' identities. And he said other court systems around the world protected Crime Stoppers but the system in Bermuda had not been challenged yet. "If we do not know who it was then we can stand in the box and say so,'' he added. Like other Crime Stoppers offices around the world, Crime Stoppers Bermuda will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Det. Con. Callaghan said if any one was to call outside these hours there would be a recording so people could leave their information. But they would be asked to leave no personal details.

These tapes would be erased after the information was recorded from them.

"That way it stays totally anonymous.'' Also, callers can call back the next day if they do not wish to leave a message. All the information goes to the Criminal Investigation Department's Superintendant Vic Richmond who has people investigate it right away. The switchboard operators record the amount of calls they have received and who has been allocated a Crime Stoppers number to identify themselves in case of a reward. Det. Con. Callaghan said about 85 percent of the informants who call in to the Crime Stoppers switchboard in London do not even want the reward. "They just want to be able to give information safely.'' The Crime Stoppers in Bermuda will have to be up and running so that problems can be defined and corrected, said Det. Con. Vickers.

She added there will be incidents such as paying out the rewards that will have to be adapted to the Island because of the size of the community. PHOTO CHECKING THE TIPS - Det. Con. Kim Vickers and Det. Con. Brian Callaghan will be responsible for recording the information received on the anonymous Crime Stoppers' phone line at Police Headquarters in Prospect.

BROKEN GLASS ENTRY -- The offender has broken the glass door in this picture to enter the clubhouse.

BENT BARS -- The bars on this window have been forced out by the perpetrator in this crime scene.

RANSACKED -- The perpetrator was obviously looking for something when he tore this Hamilton office apart.

SCENE OF THE CRIME -- An office safe has been forced open and the contents stolen. The new Crime Stoppers programme allows individuals with any tips on crimes like these to call in anonymously.