The Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) is temporarily pausing participation in the Chatham-Kent (CK) Crime Stoppers program because of a massive data breach at Canadian Crime Stoppers.
CK police said the data breach did not involve any CK police information systems or databases, but the data breach affected Crime Stoppers programs across Canada, including Chatham-Kent's program.
CKPS noted the two organizations are separate and independent and the temporary pause in the CK Crime Stoppers partnership will be in effect while additional information about the breach is gathered and assessed.
CK police said CK Crime Stoppers has been a valued community partner for many years, providing an avenue for members of the public to anonymously share information that has assisted investigations and contributed to community safety, but maintaining public trust is essential and taking a cautious approach at this time is prudent.
“Members of our community must have confidence that the information they provide is being protected,” said Chief Kirk Earley. “While we recognize the valuable contributions Crime Stoppers has made over the years, the incident requires us to proceed with caution. Pausing our participation is a necessary step while we assess the situation and await further information regarding the security of the system and the protection of those who use it.”
CKPS said it has suspended the promotion and use of CK Crime Stoppers reporting channels.
Members of the public are encouraged to continue reporting information directly to CK police through their established reporting methods. However, anonymity cannot be guaranteed when reporting directly to police, although, reasonable measures will be taken to protect personal information, police added.
Information can be reported by calling 519-352-1234, submitting a report through the CKPS website, and calling 911 in an emergency.
CKPS said it will continue to monitor developments and review information as it becomes available.
"We recognize the importance of public trust, confidentiality, and the safety of individuals who may have used Crime Stoppers reporting services. Public safety remains our top priority," police noted.
Over 1.5 million Canadian tips accumulated over 25 years were exposed, including tens of thousands of unredacted personal details such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, social security and insurance numbers, and banking details.
The database was hacked between November 2025 and March 2026 and the incident was acknowledged last week.
