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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-18 Daily Xml
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BANKSA CRIME STOPPERS

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government (the Minister for Police) a question about BankSA Crime Stoppers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: BankSA Crime Stoppers has been, and continues to be, a wonderful community service. All South Australians benefit from the success of BankSA Crime Stoppers, because the highly successful initiative involves the police, the media and the community working together to help solve and prevent crime. Will the minister provide information about the success of BankSA Crime Stoppers since its inception?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (14:38): I thank the Hon. Mr Finnigan for his question. The Crime Stoppers program was launched in South Australia on 8 July 1996, and since then information from the public has directly resulted in more than 15,000 crimes being solved and the recovery of property valued in excess of $4.8 million. Crime Stoppers brings police, media and the community together to solve crime. SAPOL supplies the media with relevant crime information which is then published, with the community encouraged to supply information that will identify offenders.

Since the inception of Crime Stoppers there have been more than 75,000 actions issued to police investigators, resulting in the apprehension of more than 10,300 offenders involved in more than 15,000 crimes. This means that one in every seven actions is resulting in an apprehension, which is an excellent result and demonstrates the quality of information being provided. Some significant apprehensions relate to nine murders, three attempted murders, and numerous school arsons, armed robberies and drug offences.

Information passed to police through BankSA Crime Stoppers assisted in the solving of the Maya Jakic and the Megumi Suzuki murders, and two offenders were arrested for an attempted murder in the city Parklands. Other significant apprehensions include:

$5 million arson to the Unley High School;

$1 million arson to the Fairview Park Primary School;

the arrest of four people for $1 million arson to a southern suburbs primary school;

the arrest of numerous offenders for armed robbery offences;

the arrest of a man responsible for a $131,000 fraud on the St George Bank;

numerous persons arrested for drug offences, some of which include: operating clandestine laboratories; large-scale cannabis cultivation including hydroponics; possession of prohibited drugs, including cannabis, heroin, amphetamines and ecstasy for sale, which includes the arrest of a man for possession of approximately 1,000 kilograms of dried cannabis.

Twelve years down the track Crime Stoppers continues to be a success. The hotline receives approximately 19,500 calls a year. While most of us have never been victims of crime, almost certainly we have been affected by it. The cost of crime on individuals in society is high, be it a burglary, stolen car or assault. We all have to pay emotionally, physically or financially.

Most people who contact Crime Stoppers want to see justice done. They want a criminal to be arrested and charged, hoping he or she will not continue to commit offences. Some people who contact Crime Stoppers may, themselves, be involved in crime but may want another criminal to be brought to justice, perhaps as a result of a dispute. A small number of people are prompted by the Crime Stoppers reward which may be payable if the information given leads to an arrest.

Crime Stoppers welcomes crime information, no matter what prompted the person to make contact. The Crime Stoppers program in South Australia actively markets the international Crime Stoppers philosophy that you can speak to a police officer in confidence and remain anonymous. World wide, there are more than 1,200 Crime Stoppers programs operating in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Central America and several Caribbean and Pacific nations. The continuing success of the Crime Stoppers program world wide proves just how valuable information from members of the community can be in helping authorities to fight and prevent crime.

I pay tribute to BankSA, which continues to be a strong supporter of the program and which has been the principal sponsor for the entire period, while Channel 9 plays a significant role in promoting various elements of the program. Crime Stoppers has been highly successful and I hope that, with the continued support of the government and supporters such as Channel 9 and BankSA, the program will continue to help solve and prevent crime.

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