“Cash for guns” receives donation

It was the original cash for information initiative…and while the 922 hotline has now merged into the Crimestoppers programme, the effort to specifically target illegal firearms is very much alive and well.

Mark Lizarraga, Chairman, Cash for Information Programme

“This fund goes specifically to the cash for information programme and it’s going to assist us in rewarding those persons who choose to call in to report on criminal activity, specifically with guns. We are very concerned, the whole country has been concerned about the criminal activities that have been taking place with guns, and since the programme was initiated we have successfully removed, through information that we received, over two hundred and fifty guns off the streets of this country. We consider this to be a tremendous success. It’s probably more successful than any programme has ever been with this type of objective.”

Patrick Jones

“The cash for information programme has disappeared from the spotlight for some months now. What’s the status of this programme now?”

Mark Lizarraga

“The cash for information programme has always been a little low profile. I mean, but it continues to operate. We do have a little splash on it from time to time; the police P.R. person does remind us on talk shows etc, of its existence. So it’s been around and hopefully will be around for a while.”

At the start of the programme last January, government contributed fifty thousand dollars, while the business community chipped in with twenty thousand. To date, Lizarraga says the cash for information programme has resulted in over a hundred and eight arrests.