organised by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Government has approved it.

Assistant Police Commissioner Mr. Wayne Perinchief said it will start on the Island on September 13. Mr. Perinchief said Government grew more and more concerned with the growing crime rate in the early 1990s and asked the criminal justice system for initiatives to solve the problem. "Crime Stoppers was one of those initiatives put forward,'' he noted. Mr. Greg Mac Aleese, the original founder of Crime Stoppers, gave the lecture on the programme at the seminar in 1984. Mr. Perinchief said he tried to get the programme under way in 1984 after first hearing about it and said he found the business community willing to assist. But the public response at the time was "lukewarm'' and the idea was researched but not put into place, said Mr. Perinchief. He said doubts were originally raised about the idea of making people "snitches'' but stressed "we are only trying to break the code of silence for the good of the community''. He said it is no more invasive into people's privacy than a neighbourhood watch scheme. "For every crime that is committed, at least one other person knows about it. If he or she can be persuaded to talk then you (the Police) can solve the crime.'' Mr. Perinchief said this was the idea behind the cash for tips scheme known as Crime Stoppers. "In a small community like Bermuda, a lot of people know what is going on,'' said Mr.

Perinchief. "I am very excited about Crime Stoppers because it has been successful everywhere it has been tried.'' Mr. Perinchief said he will be acting as the coordinator between the Police and the Crime Stopper's Board of Directors and so he will be responsible for recommending a reward to them. He said he will base his recommendation on the value of the information to the Police, even if it does not result in a conviction straight away. He stressed that who is doing what, is what the Police really want to know. "A good tip might lead to a chain of events that will eventually result in a prosecution and so that makes it valuable.'' But he stressed the civilian board will make the decision regarding the reward. He said when they have made their decision they will contact him and if there is a reward, they will give the informant a new number to use when picking it up. "The informant can even use a surrogate so anyone could pick up the reward.'' Mr. Perinchief said Crime Stoppers would not preclude anyone else offering a reward to solve a crime. He also said: "Informants could be ordinary members of the public or people involved on the fringes of crime. The best informants are criminals themselves.'' He explained that this is why it is necessary for the Police to receive calls as they are trained to handle these situations and are trained to take the risk involved.

The idea of anonymity also applies to the court system and no informant will be required to testify as is the case in England and America, said Mr.

Perinchief. He added that the only lawyer involved in Crime Stoppers will be corporate lawyer from Appleby, Spurling And Kempe, Mr. Shaun Morris, who will Crime Stoppers Bermuda has support of international scheme Crime Stoppers International who will supply them with cases from all around the world to aid them in making decisions, said Mr. Perinchief. He said the programme will be locally funded from businesses and individuals but not from Government funds, that is the tax payer. "However the Police will receive funding through the Police budget to cover the wages incurred for handling the switchboard and for the telephone bill.'' Mr. Perinchief said he contacted the coordinator of Crime Stoppers International and invited him to Bermuda to help launch the programme. Mr. Richard Carter, a retired Texas judge and now the head of the organisation, arrived on the Island on March 12, 1994 and spoke to local groups including the Police, Government, the Chamber of Commerce and the Bermuda Hotel Association. He also spoke to Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis and appeared on ZBM's News and Views television programme with Mr. Perinchief and lawyer Mr. Archibald Warner. It was members of the business community who started things off and a civilian board was formed and a chairman, Mr. McNeil Warner, was chosen, said Mr. Perinchief. "And Sir. John Sharpe agreed to be our patron just like other charities have,'' he added. PHOTO ASSISTANT POLICE COMMISSIONER -- Mr. Wayne Perinchief will be acting as the coordinator between the Police and Crime Stopper's Board of Directors, and will be responsible for recommending a reward to them.

STOP THE DESTRUCTION - With the help of anonymous informants Crime Stoppers Bermuda wants to stop arson attempts by getting information which will help the Police catch arsonists before they can do any damage.