of a dissident Anglican church group, has been chosen to spearhead the Island's new Crime Stoppers programme.

Mr. Warner, who also started the Police's successful junior cadets programme, is to serve as chairman of the civilian committee that will solicit private donations and determine who gets how much in the anonymous cash-for-tips scheme.

Crime Stoppers, a variation of the widely practiced international model that was developed by retired Texas judge Mr. Richard Carter, was announced by the Police and Human Affairs Ministry last month in an effort to combat rising crime.

Under the scheme, rewards of $25 to $1,000 will be meted out to members of the public for information on crimes -- regardless of whether or not the information results in a conviction.

Although the Police will advise their civilian counterparts on the quality of any information received, it will be up to the Crime Stoppers committee to decide on the size of the rewards, Assistant Police Commissioner Mr. Wayne Perinchief said yesterday.

He added that Mr. Warner's past experience with the Police made him an ideal candidate for the role of Police-civilian go-between.

"We solicited him as chairperson and he agreed to take the position,'' Mr.

Perinchief said.

The Assistant Commissioner, who had served until Mr. Warner's appointment on April 13 as the committee's interim chairman, also stated that "the Police will now step back'' and let the civilian board take over.

"There has to be a separation of the public's involvement and the Police,'' he said, adding that the calls from the public will be taken at Police headquarters anonymously, assigned a special ID number and forwarded by a liaison officer to the committee for reward purposes.

Tomorrow, a formal meeting will be held to determine the rest of the civilian committee.

Among the agencies that are expected to be represented on the board are the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, the Bermuda Hotel Association and various business groups and community organisations.

Mr. Warner, a former headmaster at the Robert Crawford School, served from 1979 to 1986 as the first chairman of the Police Advisory Board, which advises law enforcement authorities on community concerns and the possible remedies for them.

He is also at the helm of the Committee of Concerned Anglicans, an activist group that was formed after conflicts between certain Anglicans and their Bishop over the hiring of clergy and other matters.

Yesterday, Mr. Warner said that a primary goal of his tenure as chairman will be the education of citizens on "how they can help solve crimes and do this'' anonymously.

He also stressed the fundraising aspect of the committee's responsibilities and hoped to oversee an official launching of the programme in September of this year.

Both Mr. Warner and Assistant Commissioner Perinchief told the Gazette that Crime Stoppers would likely be in place unofficially by June.