History of Crime Stoppers

Crime Stoppers was started in 1976 in Albuquerque New Mexico. Greg MacAleese, a detective in Albuquerque, felt the frustration every police officer knows so well. Crime in Albuquerque was escalating at an alarming rate and the community appeared to be apathetic towards the situation. Amongst the public, there was also a degree of fear of retribution from the criminal element. 
 
Greg MacAleese had been investigating the murder of a Michael Carmen, a university student working the night shift at a petrol station. Two armed men burst into the service station, robbed the till and shot Michael dead. After six weeks, when MacAleese had exhausted all possible leads in the case, he decided to try an unorthodox approach to solving the crime.

He arranged for a re-enactment of the murder to be shown on a local television station and invited viewers to ring him with information. Greg MacAleese guaranteed callers' anonymity and offered a cash reward for information which led to an arrest. Within 72 hours of the program going to air, a young man phoned in and said that he saw a car speeding away from the service station and noted the registration number . He had not contacted the police earlier for fear of getting involved.

The registration plate was the missing link in the murder investigation. A person was arrested for the murder within five days of the re-enactment being shown on television - and Crime Stoppers was born.

Today, there are more than 1000 Crime Stoppers programs run by police departments around the world. Their success is monitored by an international association called Crime Stoppers International. 

CRIME STOPPERS AUSTRALIA
Crime Stoppers was first introduced in Australia by the Victoria Police in November 1987. The Crime Stoppers program now operates in all Australian states and territories.

Establishment Dates for Australian states and territories:    

Victoria   1987
New South Wales 1989
Queensland 1989
Tasmania 1994
Western Australia 1995
South Australia 1996
Northern Territory 1996
Australian Capital Territory 1996