A direct Durham police tip line is being offered to people who wish to provide information anonymously while the service reviews a cybersecurity incident involving P3, the third-party platform used by Crime Stoppers programmes.
In an October 22 statement reproduced by Durham Radio News, Durham Regional Police Service said it had removed references directing the public to Crime Stoppers from its public-facing channels as a precaution while it assesses new information.
The service stressed that DRPS and Durham Regional Crime Stoppers are separate organizations. P3 is operated independently of the police service, and police said the incident did not involve a confirmed intrusion into DRPS internal information systems.
How to provide information during the review
People who want to report information and remain anonymous can call 905-579-1520, extension 5802, Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., to speak with a member of Intelligence Services.
Police said voicemail is available outside those hours. The service also identified info@drps.ca for further inquiries or reporting related to the matter.
Anyone facing an emergency or an immediate threat to public safety should call 911. The Durham police tip line is not an emergency-response number.
What the announcement does and does not confirm
Police said privacy, safety and public trust are central to their assessment. Their statement directs questions about the cybersecurity incident, the P3 platform, the scope of affected information and response measures to the appropriate Crime Stoppers organizations and the platform provider.
The announcement does not establish the number of Durham submissions affected or say that every local tip was exposed. It also does not establish a breach of police-operated information systems.
Durham Radio News reported that Toronto Crime Stoppers had stopped accepting tips, but that Durham Crime Stoppers had not made the same statement at the time of its 10:38 a.m. report. Toronto’s programme status should therefore not be assumed to describe Durham’s.
This is a Durham-specific change to public reporting guidance, separate from earlier reporting about the Toronto programme alone.
Sources
Featured image: original editorial illustration, not documentary photography.
