Saskatoon Crime Stoppers has record-breaking year

Cst. Ryan Ehalt says Saskatoon Crime Stoppers received more than 1,600 tips in 2018.

Saskatoon Crime Stoppers is crediting its social media presence for a successful 2018.

Cst. Ryan Ehalt said the organization received more than 1,600 tips in 2018, up more than 200 from the previous year. The tips led to the arrest of 54 suspects and wanted people and helped solve 89 cases.

The Saskatoon Crime Stoppers Facebook page has more than 31,000 followers – a number that has more than doubled since 2017.

“We attribute our success to the engagement we have on social media,” he said.

“We are continually putting content out asking for the public’s help in unique ways and as a result, they’re responding.”

Ehalt said using humour in the Facebook posts has made the public more engaged in helping solve crime.

“We make [the public] interested even though they maybe weren’t interested in that crime. But because of the way it’s written and the engagement, it has resonated with the public,” he said.

The Saskatoon Crime Stoppers Facebook page is the most-followed Crime Stoppers Facebook page in North America and one of the most followed in the world, he said.