The potent blend of a cash incentive and a guarantee of anonymity helped Crime Stoppers bag property, drugs and narcotics worth just over 5.7 million in northwestern Ontario last year.

Crime Stoppers marked their fifteenth year in the region with 982 cases and helped make 1,241 arrests. Total recoveries included $884,204 in property, $1,979,969 in drugs and $2,864,173 in narcotics.

The region includes eight Crime Stopper boards, each one made up of 10 to 12 volunteers. Petrina Taylor, OPP detective constable, coordinates the entire northwest region covering, Sioux Narrows, Atikokan, Dryden, Ignace, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Pickle Lake, Red Lake, Ear Falls and Kenora.

[continues 539 words]