Crimestoppers International

Crimestoppers International is an umbrella organisation to establish guidelines and maintain consistency for Crimestoppers programmes worldwide.

Crimestoppers International is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors from these worldwide Crimestoppers' programmes.

Visit the Crimestoppers' International website to find out more about Crimestoppers International.

How did the concept of Crimestoppers first begin in the international arena?

United States of America, 1976

The Crimestoppers' concept started in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1976, a university student happened to be working part-time on a late shift at a petrol station and was killed during a robbery. Six weeks of intensive police enquiries failed to reveal any information, although the detective on the case felt sure the criminals were local, as there had been a series of similar robberies in the area.

Detective Greg Mackaleese sought to put up a cash reward provided by local businesseses, for information leading to capture of the gang. The detective then went on TV to do a reconstruction. However, in a break from tradition, Detective Mackaleese offered a $1,000 cash reward, but stressed “the caller would remain anonymous”. Within 72 hours, a vehicle used during the robbery was identified and subsequently two men were arrested, charged and convicted of the murder and robbery.

The American detective recognised there was potential to develop a scheme covering other types of serious crime, and ran it for six months as a trial. In the meantime, other US police forces started to enquire about the ‘Crimestoppers' scheme, and word spread across the United States and later into Canada.

The Crimestoppers concept has since been adopted further afield in the United Kingdom and other European countries, the Caribbean, countries in the South-Western Pacific and Australia.