Prince George residents attended the Northern BC Crime Stoppers “Shred-It” event at the Prince George Secondary School Parking Lot.
The event is held every year to raise funding for the organization while giving residents the chance to destroy their unneeded private and personal documents.
It will be held from 10 am until 2 pm today (Saturday), and is being facilitated as a drive-thru so people can stay in their vehicles and wear masks to adhere to provincial health protocols.
A $5 donation to the organization is recommended to participate in the event, however, it is not required.
Ron Polillo, Vice President of Northern BC Crimestoppers says the event pays for some important aspects of Crimestoppers’ work.
“The donations go to actually physically run the program, there are costs associated to running the program. In particular paying for our anonymous tip line, which people can call 24/7 and 365 days a year,” he explained.
Additionally, the event pays for reward money, as sometimes anonymous calls can lead to an arrest and the caller will receive a cash reward for their information.
“It’s important to the everyday operation of our program but it’s also important to our rewards program,” he added.
Polillo says this event doesn’t just benefit Northern BC Crimestoppers, as it also protects residents from becoming victims of identity theft.
“That information if it’s in the hands of people that want to do some damage and steal your identity can do real harm to you, individually,” he said.
Every year “Shred It” is held in the spring and in the fall seasons while each day typically attracts around 100-200 supporters.