NCJ Number
205692
Date Published
December 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of an evaluation of Victoria, Australia’s Crime Stoppers Victoria (CSV) program.
Abstract
The CSV program is one of many worldwide that provides an anonymous mechanism for citizens to alert local police of suspected criminal activities by telephone. Evaluating the success of such programs is notoriously difficult; however, Crime Stoppers programs can be evaluated on a number of measures that are reflective of the achievements of the program. The following variables were analyzed as an indication of the success of CSV: (1) level of community awareness; (2) media support; (3) community participation; (4) relative value of calls; (5) police perception; and (6) economic value. Random telephone interviews of 1,008 Victorians during September 2002 indicated that the level of community awareness and support of the program was high, with 94 percent of respondents recognizing the Crime Stoppers program. A full 98 percent of Victorians would use the program to report information to the police. Analysis of 114 target crime stories appearing in the main newspaper revealed that media publicity about crime in newspapers was effective at helping police solve crimes. Between October 2001 and September 2002, there were 19,880 calls to the Crime Stoppers program from Victoria. The rate of calls to Crime Stoppers in Victoria was 42 per 10,000 population; when compared with other areas of Australia, Victorian’s participation in the Crime Stoppers program was low. Although the value of calls to Crime Stoppers is difficult to estimate, over the past 5 years, CSV has referred 27,845 calls to investigators and has been advised of 2,531 resulting arrests. A questionnaire was distributed in December 2002 to a random sample of Victoria Police staff. Results revealed that overall support for CSV was positive, yet many respondents were unclear about how the program could assist them. Finally, it is estimated that the overall cost of running CSV is about $1 million and the overall benefits total to nearly $5 million, which is a considerable economic value for the community. Conclusions indicate the overall success of the CSV program. Recommendations include continuing community education programs and increasing the level of feedback from investigators concerning the value of CSV information. Tables, figure, references