Rotary introduces Crime Stoppers
Crime is a concern of every citizen, and often we are the eyes and ears of the police. But just about everyone who picks up the phone to call in with information worries about the confidentiality of that call. Well, the Rotary Club of Belize wants to help us rest a little easier on that score and is doing something about it.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
One of the main reasons why the Cash For Information Programme managed by the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry to help deter crime has not really worked is because people fear that they can be easily identified.
Alberto Young, Member, Belize Rotary Club
“The problem with having the call centre in Belize is, as you know, if you call people can easily recognize your voice and say that is that person on the line, and that is why I think a lot of Belizeans have been hesitant in giving up information, valuable information.”
The information received has resulted in a number of firearms confiscated. However, it is hoped with the introduction of Crime Stoppers International, Belizeans will feel more secured about volunteering information. The Rotary Club of Belize has committed itself to manage the new 922 programme. Rotarian Alberto Young explains.
Alberto Young
“The way it will work is that you will call in with an information about a crime you have seen or heard of, someone will take your call, no name will be given. The call centre will be in the United States, in Miami and they will handle the call. They are trained fully to extract as much information from the caller without getting any identity involved and then past that information onto a Crime Stoppers coordinator who will be resident in Belize. That information then goes forward to a police coordinator who follows up on the information. And that lends itself to anonymity, meaning your name is never involved, nobody will recognize your voice.”
“What comes back to the coordinator is just the information and a number that is given to the person who called in because a reward is tied in because when you call back-they will tell you call back in a week to see if the information has been helpful. If it has, there is an amount of reward is assigned to it. If it is murder it’s higher, etcetera and so on. And you collect based on that. There will be collection points and so on. It’s all anonymous, we’re not here to get names and so forth, we are here to collect information, we don’t want to know who you are and what you sound like and so on. None of it is recorded, the only thing that is captured is the information being given via computer and that comes via the internet to our coordinator in Belize.”
Crime Stoppers-Belize is schedule to start in July. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
Crime Stoppers International has existed for over thirty-five years and is now located in sixteen countries. Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados already have these programmes in place. According to Young, Crime Stoppers International hopes to use the Belize programme as a module to start similar programmes in Central America.
