THE popular Crime Information Form (CIF) scheme, which provides a handy way to report crime by post, has been further strengthened by the support of another major supermarket chain.
The Chief Staff Officer of the Police Public Relations Branch, Mr Eric Lockeyear, said that with the addition of the 160 Park'N Shop stores, distribution outlets for the crime reporting forms would increase to over 1,000.
''By making the CIFs more readily accessible, we hope that members of the public will take greater initiative in reporting crime,'' Mr Lockeyear said, reiterating that any information received through the CIFs would be treated in the strictest confidence.
The scheme was first implemented in 1980 as a simple and convenient means for the public to give information pertaining to crime. It supplemented other crime reporting methods such as dialling 999 or the police hotline (527-7177) or reporting in person.
In 1992, the police arrested 475 people for various offences based on information provided in 2,111 returned CIFs. For the first half of this year, police have received 1,964 CIFs, resulting in the apprehension of 262 people.
''It is encouraging to see these arrest figures, an indication that the CIF scheme remains a very valuable channel for the police to obtain crime information,'' Mr Lockeyear added.
