The Bermuda Telephone Company has joined forces with Crime Stoppers to encourage the public to use the confidential TIPS hotline to help slam the breaks on crime in Bermuda.

All Island phone boxes will now be emblazoned with red and white stickers carrying Crime Stoppers? contact information.

According to a press release on the partnership, BTC got involved with the campaign to bring recognition to the crime alert organisation. ?The campaign is particularly timely in view of the recent upswing in crime,? the press release said.

?Crime Stoppers 24-hour totally confidential hotline is a vital link between the community and law enforcement in Bermuda,? Crime Stoppers chairman Sean Pitcher said.

?It is a way for members of the public to share information they have regarding possible criminal activity without fear of reprisal, whether it is an instance of petty theft, assault or even murder.?

The press release said that since its inception in 1996, calls to the TIPS hotline have resulted in over 185 arrests and the seizure of over $20 million worth of illegal drugs.

Crime Stoppers communications director Joanne McPhee said the partnership with BTC and the Miami Dadeland Police allows the hotline to be readily accessible from any phone in Bermuda ? free of charge.

?As the calls are answered in Miami and not Bermuda, the caller can never be identified, nor their number traced,? she said.

Even those seeking to collect on the rewards of up to $2,000 that Crime Stoppers offers for tips leading to the successful conclusion of a case can remain completely anonymous, she added.

?Those seeking rewards are issued with a confidential recall code and reward money is dropped at a location of the caller?s choice.?

Crime Stoppers 24-hour, toll-free hotline number is 1-800-623-8477 (TIPS).

?In their quiet and unobtrusive way, Crime Stoppers is making a difference in Bermuda,? said BTC president and CEO Francis Mussenden.

BTC has also presented Crime Stoppers with a $2,000 donation.