Crime Stoppers reports nearly 30 arrests from Pickering to Clarington this month

Durham Crime Stoppers is nearing the end of January’s Crime Stoppers month with a focus on ending human trafficking. The organization which accepts anonymous tips regarding crime in the Region is increasing their reward for information leading to a human-trafficking arrest to $1,000.

The theme of this Crime Stopper month was “Stop the crime of Human Trafficking.” Since the dawn of 2022, Crime Stoppers has received 95 tips, resulting in 151 charges and 29 arrests.

Throughout 2021, the service recorded 1,628 tips of the 43,518 they’ve collected since their inception in 1986. Since then, CrimeStoppers tips have resulted in nearly 12,000 criminal charges filed and over 4,000 arrests. In total they have recovered almost $7.5 million in property.

The CrimeStoppers push to combat human trafficking in the Region comes as the Durham Police describe a steep and steady increase in the crime over the last few years since the birth of their Human Trafficking Unit (HTU).

In 2021, 251 cases were under investigation by September alone, a 161 per cent increase over the previous year, resulting in 143 charges against 149 suspects, with 226 victims identified. More than a third were minors.

More information regarding human trafficking can be found on StopHT.ca, designed to help locals recognize and stop the crime. Any tips can be sent to 1-800-222-(TIPS) 8477 or submitted online at  durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca.