The Brandon Police Service (BPS) has temporarily suspended its relationship with Crime Stoppers after a major data breach.
Crime Stoppers’ third-party software exposed over 1.5 million Canadian tips, prompting the BPS and other police agencies nationwide to halt their partnership.
“We’ve decided the best way forward is to temporarily discontinue the use of Crime Stoppers while they establish the necessary safeguards to assure the public and law enforcement partners that the information is secure,” said BPS Chief Tyler Bates.
BPS has not reported any breaches of local data following the cyberattack on Crime Stoppers, but Bates said the possibility remains.
“We are working on an appraisal of that and to establish any possible data breaches with the help of Crime Stoppers.”
Bates also indicated an expected decline in tips reported to the BPS for cases without an anonymous tipline and incentive for calling in.
“The caveat is that the Crime Stoppers program offers rewards, which is something we don’t have the capacity to provide through Brandon Police Service’s front-line dispatch.”
Bates could not provide a timeline for when the partnership with Crime Stoppers might resume.
“Until we learn what steps have been taken to remedy the situation, we can’t continue using the service or recommend that people submit tips to the agency.”
But when the partnership does resume, Bates said there is a concern that fewer people will be willing to use Crime Stoppers.
“When a breach of this nature raises concerns in the community, people may be reluctant to use the service.”
He said it will take efforts by Crime Stoppers to re-build trust.
“They will need to make a significant effort to rebuild trust and re-establish themselves as an agency that can receive confidential information and ensure it is protected.”
In the meantime, anyone with tips can contact the BPS at 204-729-2345.
