A major cybersecurity breach involving a third-party platform used by Crime Stoppers has prompted police services across the region to temporarily suspend participation in the program. The Windsor Police Service announced Thursday it had paused its involvement in Crime Stoppers after learning that more than 1.5 million tips submitted through a third-party software platform across Canada may have been exposed. LaSalle Police Service and Chatham-Kent Police Service have since taken similar steps while the breach is investigated and additional security measures are implemented. Former OPP commissioner and CTV Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis calls the situation troubling because of the role Crime Stoppers plays in helping communities share information confidentially with police. “Crime Stoppers is such a valuable program to communities. For the people to confidentially feel they have the confidence in the system to provide information to help police solve crimes is so important,” Lewis said. He says restoring confidence will require clear communication about what happened and how the problem is being addressed. “We need communication. We need to know what happened, what are the risks for those involved and then most importantly, the community needs to feel confident the system’s been fixed going forward,” said Lewis. Lewis believes the temporary loss of anonymous tips could also create challenges for investigators. “It absolutely will impact some investigations because those tips over the years through Crime Stoppers have led to the solving of a lot of crime,” Lewis said. “A lot of it within communities, break and enters, robberies, things of that nature, right up to very major crimes.“ Police services that have suspended participation in Crime Stoppers are urging residents to report non-emergency information directly to police while the breach is investigated. In an emergency, residents should call 911.
