Frequently Asked Questions
What is Crime Stoppers?
Is Crime Stoppers part of the Police (Corrections, Customs, Immigration)?
We are not. Crime Stoppers is a totally independent charity that uses our own call centre operators to ensure all members of our community who do not wish to contact the Police directly have the ability to provide information about a crime, or other vital information to the authorities, anonymously. We give our absolute guarantee that no identifying information will be passed on to the authorities.
Why would I call the Police (Corrections, Customs, Immigration) when I can just report things to Crime Stoppers?
Crime Stoppers is not an enforcement organisation. We support those who for whatever reason can’t report directly to the authorities but still wish to be good citizens and stop wrong-doing in the communities we live in. If you need to report a crime where you are the victim (car theft, assault, etc.), need immediate help, victim support or support in general then Crime Stoppers cannot assist and so call 111 or 105 for Police matters or appropriate numbers for Corrections, Customs and Immigration.
Can I lodge an official Police complaint via Crime Stoppers?
No, official Police complaints must be made directly to the Police. This is for such requirements as insurance and other such matters. We do not keep a reference number for the information you provide the Police. The information you provide will be used by the Police to start a new investigation or add to the records of an existing one. Because it is not an official complaint, the information you provide Police cannot be used as evidence in pursuit of a conviction.
Do Crime Stoppers hold any information on callers?
We do not. Even the call number is blocked from our operators call screens and we work hard to ensure that the information received, even if known, is not passed to any other organisation.
Can Crime Stoppers guarantee that the information sent to Police (Corrections, Customs, Immigration) is factual?
We can never guarantee that, but we do guarantee that the details of the caller or person sending the web report are removed and that the report accurately represents what the caller said or what was included in the web submission. The authorities will then verify the information received from us. We simply facilitate the information getting to the right agency anonymously.
What if I do say or send my name in a phone call or email report?
We do everything humanly possible to remove any identifying statements or information from our reports if you want to remain anonymous. Our agents are also aware of and try to remove statements that may identify any informant such as when they may state “I live next door to this person” and give the person’s address. Our integrity revolves around our anonymous guarantee and we take our stated position seriously. When you do want to record your name, we usually check to ensure that this was not done accidentally.
How is Crime Stoppers funded?
We receive a proportion of our funding from the authorities (Police, Corrections, Immigration and Customs), from commercial partners (such as Vodafone), from public donations (we are a registered charity) and from a separate business based on supplying integrity lines to organisations. None of our funders are involved in the operational oversight of Crimeline and all funding is provided knowing that we control all our services and that our anonymous guarantee is our fundamental reason for being.
How can I find out if my information has been helpful?
That is difficult because of our anonymity guarantee and because the information passed on not be the final or only straw in the process. It may provide bits the jigsaw up the full evidential in many cases, it may take months to get to a where action can be taken.
Nothing happened after I rang Crime Stoppers. Why?