Crime Stoppers NSW has marked 35 years of helping to keep the community safe through the prevention, awareness and reporting of crimes in conjunction with the NSW Police Force.

When Crime Stoppers began, there was an average of 500 calls a month. Today, there is an average of 10,000 contacts (via phone and online) per month with information leading to an arrest on average four times a day.

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said Crime Stoppers is a crucial link between the community and police.

“The impact that Crime Stoppers has had on policing over the past 35 years cannot be overstated,” Minister Catley said.

“It allows the community to provide critical information that has assisted in thousands of police investigations and brought perpetrators to account.

“The community are the eyes and ears of police and the information provided to Crime Stoppers plays an invaluable role in keeping us safe.”

Crime Stoppers NSW is part of a global network which helps solve a crime every 14 minutes around the world.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said without the help of Crime Stoppers, many crimes would have been much more challenging to solve.

“The partnership between the NSW Police Force and Crime Stoppers is one of our most important tools in solving crime and keeping the community safe. It is hard to quantify the difference it has made over the years, but there is no doubt it has been profound.

“Of course, in every single case, we also wouldn’t have been able to achieve results without the assistance of the community, and I want to thank everyone who has come forward with information to make this partnership a success.”

Over the years, many significant crimes have been solved thanks to information provided by the community to Crime Stoppers. These include:

• Najma Carroll: In 2020 the body of Najma Carroll was located in bushland and at the time her identity, as well as the date and cause of her death, were unknown. Thanks to two reports to Crime Stoppers and subsequent witness statements, Robert Sloan was arrested and charged with Najma’s murder. He is currently serving a 25 year jail sentence.
• Charlise Mutten: In January 2022, Justin Stein was charged after the discovery of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten’s body in a barrel on the banks of the Colo River. Following a media appeal, information about the crime and the location of evidence was reported to Crime Stoppers which led to Stein being convicted of her murder and being sentenced to life in jail.

None of this would have been possible without the collaborative efforts of the NSW Police Force and the community.

Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty, Commander of Homicide Squad, said information from the public is vital when it comes to solving murders and other serious crimes.

“Our victims don’t have the ability to tell their story, share evidence or reach out to detectives. That is why the information that’s comes from the public is so important. It allows the public to give voices to victims who don’t have one. “

“Thanks to Crime Stoppers over the past 35 years the public has had the ability to give information that can solve serious crimes like murders, sexual assaults, robberies and kidnappings as well as reach out to police to keep their communities safe,” Det Supt Doherty said.

“For the Homicide Squad the information we have received from Crime Stoppers has been instrumental in arresting those responsible for murders and bringing justice to their victim’s families.”

NSW Crime Stoppers CEO, Peter Price AM, said Crime Stoppers NSW has a long and rich history of helping to solve crime.

“We are very proud of what has been achieved,” Mr Price said.

“Reporting to Crime Stoppers is crucial to solving crime, but Crime Stoppers does so much more. We have a strong education and awareness program using community engagement, and social media campaigns which provide safety advice to help prevent a crime from occurring.

“In recent years we have focussed on crimes relating to drugs, firearms, online child safety and rural crime.”

Crime Stoppers NSW has also introduced new and innovative ways to help engage with the community to encourage more reporting including:

• The first in the world to have a 24/7 operational call centre
• The first in Australia to take information and reports on domestic violence
• The first to establish a Cyber Crime Advisory Council and first to establish a Rural Crime Advisory Council

In conjunction with the 35 year anniversary, Crime Stoppers NSW are acknowledging the 25 year anniversary of Crime Stoppers NSW CEO, Mr Peter Price AM, who is the longest serving CEO across the history of all Crime Stoppers jurisdictions in Australia.

Crime Stoppers continues to call on the community to report crime. Every piece of information counts.

If you see or hear of anything you believe to be suspicious you can contact Crime Stoppers 24/7 and report information in confidence by calling 1800 333 000 or online at nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.

You can also report crime to the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or your local Police station. Save Triple Zero (000) for emergencies.