Timmins police pause Crime Stoppers tips after reported cybersecurity incident

Timmins Police Service suspended its use of Crime Stoppers on Oct. 26, 2026, saying it acted after a reported cybersecurity incident involving a third-party platform used by Crime Stoppers organizations.

The change affects how people can submit information to police: during the suspension, tips cannot be sent through Crime Stoppers, and police say they cannot guarantee anonymity “in most circumstances” when information is provided directly.

Police said it has advised the Crime Stoppers program that serves Timmins that it will not receive tips through the service while it gathers more information about the incident and the potential for a data breach.

“To date, no information affecting Timmins has been identified as part of the reported data breach,” Timmins police said.

Police said Crime Stoppers tips are generally not time-sensitive, but it will still take information about “significant public safety concerns” during the pause. If urgent information comes in, police said it will “proceed with caution,” conduct a risk assessment and decide on an operational response.

Chief Syd Lecky said the service will resume receiving tips through Crime Stoppers once it is satisfied the program’s “security and integrity” are established to protect tipster confidentiality.

Crime Stoppers operates independently of Timmins Police Service, police said. Timmins police also said it will provide further information when additional details become available.