The Windsor Police Service has temporarily paused its participation in the Crime Stoppers program amid a cybersecurity breach.
The breach involved a third-party management platform used by the non-profit organization, which allows people to submit confidential crime tips to law enforcement.
Effective immediately, Windsor Police is asking members of the public to share information about crimes and public safety concerns directly with the service rather than through Crime Stoppers.
According to The Canadian Press, the organization stated that the tip software it has used since 2018 was hit by a data breach in March.
Local police state that the cybersecurity incident, which involved the disclosure of more than 1.5 million tips submitted through a third-party platform across Canada, did not impact Windsor’s internal information systems.
The service says that this is a precautionary measure to help protect confidential information while Crime Stoppers reviews the breach and implements additional security measures.
Members of the public with information about a crime or public safety concern are encouraged to contact Windsor Police directly.
Non-emergency information can be submitted online on the Windsor Police website, or by calling 519-258-6111. In an emergency, call 911.