'It works': Mayor says tips from Crime Stoppers help to get guns off Toronto streets

Crime Stoppers, a program that allows people to report crime through anonymous tips, makes a real difference when it comes to community safety, Toronto Mayor John Tory says.

Once guns arrive in Toronto, for example, the program helps to get them off the streets, he said. The program receives tips from the public about crime then passes those tips onto police.

"It works," Tory said at Toronto Police Service headquarters on College Street near Bay Street on Thursday.

"This is an important program that is just as important a part of community safety and maintaining community safety in Toronto as are other programs."

Tory said the program works because of citizens who use it to report crime, volunteers who raise money for its community reward program initiatives, and police officers who support it.

January is Crime Stoppers month. Officials spoke in Toronto to launch the month, talk about the program and draw attention to its statistics. The CN Tower will be illuminated in white and red lights on Thursday night to celebrate the program.

Program received 6,025 tips last year

In 2022, Toronto Crime Stoppers collected 6,025 tips from the public, enabling police to seize more than $1 million worth of illegal drugs, arrest 200 people and lay 880 charges, according to a news release on Thursday.

Several tips helped the police to recover 89 illegal firearms and to solve seven homicides, while others helped police solve robberies, sexual assaults and human trafficking.

Since its inception in 1984, the program has received 183,000 tips, allowing police to make 11,600 arrests, lay 40,000 charges and take $318.5 million worth of illegal drugs off the streets, the news release said.

"Those are indications of a program that is successful," Tory said. "The results speak for themselves."

Toronto, a city that sees its share of crime, needs programs such as Crime Stoppers, Tory said. 

"It is an integral part of making sure we can use every tool available to maintain a safe city."

Tory disclosed at the event that his son, George Tory, sits on the board of directors of Toronto Crime Stoppers. The mayor also said police need sufficient resources to be able to make use of tips received by the program. Earlier this week, the mayor proposed that the Toronto police budget increase by $48.3 million this year.

In January 2020, Toronto Crime Stoppers said it would no longer hand out financial rewards for tips that lead to arrests in local incidents. Instead, it said it would use those funds to invest in Toronto communities affected by crime and violence.

'If you break the law, the community will take notice'

Lauren Pogue, acting Toronto deputy police chief who spoke at the event, said Crime Stoppers is a "valuable" partnership between the police, community and media that allows concerned members of the public to provide information about criminal activity anonymously. 

"The theme for Crime Stoppers in 2023 is stand up stand together. We stand up and we stand together for safe communities in the fight against criminal activity," she said.

Pogue said Crime Stoppers sends a message to individuals: "If you break the law, the community will take notice."

Sean Sportun, chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers, said Crime Stoppers is a community-based charitable organization that is operated and governed by a group of community volunteers who make up the board of directors.

"Community safety is a shared responsibility," he said.

"We must all work together with a collaborative goal to make a difference in the prevention of crime while enhancing the overall safety of the community. Doing the right thing, truly, is its own reward," he added.

On its website, Toronto Crime Stoppers says calls are not recorded, there is no call display and tipsters are not required to testify in court. It says it "enables concerned members of the public to anonymously provide information on the identity of a criminal or incidents of criminal activity. All tips received by Toronto Crime Stoppers are forwarded to the appropriate police agency for investigation."