Put simply it is a three part approach to solving the crime problem. Crime Stoppers relies on cooperation between the police, the media, and the general community to provide a flow of information about crime and criminals.

How does Crime Stoppers work?

If someone feels that they have information on ANY crime, they can call the Crime Stoppers number toll free at any time of day, 365 days a year.

A trained tele-operator will answer the call and take the information. The caller will NEVER be asked to reveal their name, their address or any other personal information.

The telephone system which is used by the Crime Stoppers Call Centre, is not equipped with Caller ID, Voice Mail or any other such device. Moreso, the Call Centre is not located in Barbados.

After receiving the information, the tele-operator provides the tipster with a Control Number which must be kept confidential. The tipster is asked to call back within 21 days to enquire about the status of the case and to find out whether he or she is eligible for a reward payment. Tipsters MUST call back in and identify themselves via their Control Number since no personal information is recorded by the Crime Stoppers Unit.

It is the responsibility of the Crime Stoppers’ Police Co-ordinator to disseminate all the information collected by the Unit to the relevant Heads of Police Stations/Divisions and investigating officers. He/She continuously checks with these personnel to determine the status of the investigations based on the tips that have been provided.

The Online WebTip

Tipsters now have the option of giving us tips online. The process is completely secure and anonymous and is a very effective and efficient means of safely communicating with us in today's world. Our WebTip process is powered by the world's leading online tip solution provider, Anderson Software.  

The very unique integrated Two-Way Dialog capabilties allow the tipster to come back and provide additional information to their tip at any time, but also provides a secure means for the coordinator to ask questions or provide reward information back to the tipster through the same secure and encrypted interface.

How are rewards paid?

The volunteer Board of Directors oversees the Crime Stoppers programme and determines the value of the rewards to be paid based on the information presented by the Police Co-ordinator. Once a reward payment has been agreed upon, this is communicated to the tipster when he/she calls back in to Crime Stoppers.

To guarantee anonymity and confidentiality, the tipster may choose any branch of the appointed bank/banks to collect the payment. Crime Stoppers provides the designated official of the particular branch with the tipster’s Control Number and the amount of the reward.

At the bank, the tipster will provide the Manager with the confidential Control Number (no other form of ID is necessary) and the payment will be made IN CASH. This process has worked well, as it maintains the anonymity of the tipster.

Does Crime Stoppers Work?

The answer is quite simply yes. Since the start of Crime Stoppers, many calls have been received resulting in thousands of arrests and recovery of substantial amounts of property. Calls have included information about murder, robbery, rape, assaults, drug and firearm offenses.

The success of a Crime Stoppers programme cannot be purely judged on statistics, however, other benefits have come to notice:

• A greater awareness in the community that there is a crime problem.
• A willingness by the community to fight back against crime if it is given the opportunity and motivation.
• Improved relationships between police, media, and the community.

Crime Stoppers is definitely here to stay. It has been accepted by police as a valid and effective investigative tool and the public, through its overwhelming response, appears to have accepted it as a more palatable alternative to traditional methods of giving information.