Winnipeg police suspend Crime Stoppers after data breach

Winnipeg police say they have suspended the use of Crime Stoppers after a massive data breach of the crime-reporting system.

The pause follows a CBC report that 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the past 25 years were stolen earlier this year, The Canadian Press reported Friday.

Winnipeg police said they have been made aware that some data related to the city was included in the breach. The service said it is reviewing the additional safeguards and security measures Crime Stoppers is putting in place.

Other police forces in Canada have also suspended use of the service, including several in the Toronto region. Ontario police paused Crime Stoppers after the leak became public.

Crime Stoppers is a community-based intermediary that lets people report information about crimes to police anonymously. Because tipsters rely on that anonymity, a breach of the system raises questions about whether people who submitted information could be identified.

Winnipeg police have not said how many tips from the city were affected or how long the suspension will last. People with information about a crime can still contact police directly.

The breach is one of several recent large data incidents in Canada. Last week, Loblaw’s chief executive apologized to two million customers over a separate breach.

This report is based on reporting by The Canadian Press and CBC News.

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