What happens when you call Crime Stoppers?

January is Crime Stoppers month.

The organization got its start in New Mexico in 1976 following the murder of a university student during a gas station robbery in Albuquerque.

A local detective came up with the idea to partner with a TV station to produce a video re-enactment of the crime, then he put up his own money to encourage tips, guaranteeing anonymity to anyone willing to come forward with information. The case was quickly solved.

There are now over 1,800 Crime Stoppers programs operating in 27 countries around the world.

It launched in Nova Scotia in 1987 and John O'Reilly has been with the organization for two of the over three decades it's been here.

Now president of the group, O'Reilly said there's no doubt Crime Stoppers provides a valuable service to the province.

“Since our inception in 1987, we have a total of a little over 300,000 calls, we've paid out about $312,000 in cash rewards, we've had over 7,500 cases cleared, $580,000 in property recovered, $1.2 million in arsons solved, $15 million in drugs seized, so our statistics speak for themselves,” he told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show.

One key aspect of the program is accepting anonymous tips, and O'Reilly explained how they pay out money for information when they don't know who has called it in.

“At the end of the conversation, they're asked if they want to get paid for their information.”

“If they do want to get paid, they're given an ID number that they're told not to forget,” he said. “They're told to call back our office in two to three weeks for an update on their information.”

O'Reilly said the information is then passed along to the police agency involved. Once the tip is investigated, police will let Crime Stoppers know if it panned out.

“If it is good, when the tipster calls back, they're entitled to a cash reward anywhere from $50 up to $2,000.”

The group follows a set of guidelines to determine how much gets paid out. O'Reilly said a tip leading to the arrest of someone wanted on a warrant generally nets a few hundred bucks, but a tipster that helps solve a murder would likely get the maximum amount.

The money — discreetly delivered by a volunteer —  is paid after a charge is laid, so the tipster doesn't have to wait years for the case to make its way through the courts.

O'Reilly added around 32 per cent of callers aren't interested in getting a reward.

“They are just good citizens and they feel it's their civic responsibility.”

He said Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers has a 95 per cent conviction rate on cases solved by a tip to the program.

“We could not have achieved the success that we've had without the tireless hours that our volunteers around the province put into this, and also from all Nova Scotians that call our tipline,” he said.

“It's not about telling on people, it's about making our communities a safer place to live, conduct business and raise our children.”

Anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers can be called in at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). They can also be submitted online or through the P3 Tips App.