Since 1984, Winnipeg Crime Stoppers has received more than 123 thousand tips.
They've led to nearly six thousand people being charged, $40 million worth of drugs seized, and $36 million worth of property recovered.
But the officers in this unit rarely get a public pat on the back - and that's by design.
The unit is Winnipeg Crime Stoppers.
"We just kind of operate in the shadows," says Detective Sergeant Tom Mackay. "And we just quietly pat ourselves on the back when we've had a big success."
Crime Stoppers guarantees anonymity and because the information tipsters provide could reveal their identities, officers with the special unit can't publicly take credit for any of the cases their tips help solve.
"We've had a lot of success over the years. And are very proud of some of the successes we've had," says Mackay.
Videos reenacting the crimes is one way Crime Stoppers generates tips.
Mackay writes, directs and recruits the actors for all the videos.
"It's always a bit of a struggle for me to find actors." says Detective Sergeant Tom Mackay. "I've used family members, talent agencies in the past."
So when he finds reliable actors like Arianne Quinn, they appear again and again!
"I was an assault victim. I got to play a woman who was assaulted and picked up in a van. And the latest one I was actually the assaulter," says Quinn.
Like all the actors, Quinn didn't get paid.
She says these ads are just a fun way to give back to her community.
And helping the community is really the entire reason Winnipeg Crime Stoppers exists.
