Key Points
- HRPS is suspending the use of Crime Stoppers in light of a cyber attack that resulted in a data breach on a third party tip management platform.
- According to HRPS, some of the data associated with Halton was part of the breach.
- HRPS stated that it is investigating and evaluating the consequences of the breach on its police operations.
- The police agency said the platform used by Crime Stoppers works separately from their system.
- Citizens are urged to contact Halton police directly for any tips; they will not be anonymous.
- As per a CBC News report, the breach resulted in exposure of more than 1.5 million Canadian Crime Stoppers tips in the last 25 years.
- P3 is the name of the platform used which is provided by the U.S. based firm called Navigate360.
- Hamilton, Toronto, York Region, Peel Region, Windsor, Kingston, Cornwall and Durham police services have also suspended or paused their services due to this issue.
- Canadian Crime Stoppers Association said in June that they were evaluating whether the anonymous tipsters’ information was compromised or not.
Halton Council (Liverpool standard) October 24, 2026 — Halton Regional Police Service has suspended its use of Crime Stoppers after learning that some data related to Halton was included in a breach of the third-party platform used by Crime Stoppers organisations.
In a statement issued on October 22, HRPS said it was aware of the reported cybersecurity incident and recognised its seriousness because of the importance of protecting the anonymity and safety of people who provide information to assist investigations. As reported by Justin Chandler of CBC News, the service said: “We recognize the importance of public trust, confidentiality, and tipster safety.”
The police service said: “The service has been made aware that some data related to Halton was included in the breach.” It added that it was “actively investigating and assessing potential impacts of this incident on police operations.”
What Did Halton Police Say About the Platform?
HRPS emphasised that Crime Stoppers operates independently of the police service and that its tip-management platform is not connected to the service’s internal systems. As reported by CP24, the service said it had suspended Crime Stoppers while awaiting further information about the scope and impact of the breach.
The breach involves Navigate360, a United States-based company that provides the P3 tip-management platform used by Crime Stoppers organisations in Canada and the United States, according to reporting by The Hamilton Spectator.
What Happened to Crime Stoppers Tips?
A CBC News investigation published on October 21 found that more than 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programmes over the past 25 years had been exposed in a March breach of the company hired to manage tips. CBC reported that personal information captured in the leak was sufficient for its journalists to contact more than a dozen tipsters.
As reported by CBC News, the investigation suggested that tipsters’ identities were not protected, personal information was unredacted and records were improperly maintained. CBC also reported that there are 68 Crime Stoppers chapters registered as non-profits in Canada, according to data from the Canada Revenue Agency.
How Are Other Police Services Responding?
Halton is among several Ontario police services to pause or suspend Crime Stoppers partnerships. CBC reported that Toronto, York Region, Halton Region, Windsor, Kingston, Cornwall and Hamilton police services announced suspensions and asked the public to contact them directly with tips.
Global News reported that police in Halton, Peel and York regions, London, Hamilton and Kingston had announced suspensions after Toronto Crime Stoppers paused its phone, online and app-based tip intake.
Hamilton Police Service also announced on October 22 that it was pausing its use of Crime Stoppers while seeking further information about the security of its tip-management system and the measures taken after the breach. As reported by CBC News, Hamilton police said the decision reflected “the importance of safeguarding confidential information and the anonymity of those who use Crime Stoppers.”
What Should Halton Residents Do Now?
HRPS said members of the public who wish to provide information about a crime or public safety concern should contact Halton police directly. However, the service said those direct tips would not be anonymous.
The service has not announced when Crime Stoppers will resume in Halton. Its statement said the suspension would continue while it awaited further information on the scope and impact of the data breach.
Background of the Development
Crime Stoppers is an independent programme that allows people to submit information about criminal activity, often anonymously. The programme relies on a third-party platform, P3, managed by Navigate360, to receive and handle tips.
According to CBC News, Hamilton police were informed of the breach in June. At that time, David J. Forster, president of the Canadian Crime Stoppers Association, told CBC Hamilton that his team would be “assessing whether anonymous tipster information may have been impacted.” He also said the association’s practice was to anonymise all incoming tips from initial contact, but that it would be premature to draw conclusions while the incident was being reviewed.
CBC reported that the breach occurred in March and exposed tips submitted over 25 years. The investigation prompted several Crime Stoppers chapters and police services to suspend programmes following its publication.
Prediction: How Could This Affect Halton Residents?
For Halton residents, the immediate effect is that the usual anonymous Crime Stoppers route for reporting information is unavailable. People with information about a crime will need to contact HRPS directly, which means their identity may be known to police.
The development could also affect people who previously submitted tips through Crime Stoppers. If personal information was included in the exposed records, individuals may face concerns about privacy, retaliation or unwanted contact. Until HRPS and Crime Stoppers provide more detail on the affected data, residents cannot yet know whether their own submissions were involved.
For ongoing investigations, the suspension may reduce one channel through which police receive anonymous information. Residents may instead use direct police reporting channels, while community organisations and neighbourhood groups may need to adjust how they encourage people to share public-safety information.
