Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleSAANICH, B.C. — Saanich Police has temporarily paused its use of Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers after a national cybersecurity breach involving Navigate360, the third-party platform used to manage anonymous tips for Canadian Crime Stoppers programs.
The department says it is working with officers from other local police agencies to assess affected Greater Victoria records and determine whether any follow-up is required. Saanich has not disclosed whether any specific local records were compromised, and the public statement does not identify a resumption date.
What Saanich Police is changing
Saanich Police announced the temporary pause on October 28. The department said confidential tips are important to investigations, but it wants to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the confidentiality of information and the anonymity of people who come forward.
As the host agency for Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers, Saanich has directed employees to work with officers from local police agencies to review affected records and decide whether any investigative follow-up is needed.
For now, Saanich is directing people who want to provide information to its other reporting channels, including its non-emergency line at 250-475-4321, extension 1, and online incident reporting. Anyone needing immediate police assistance should call 9-1-1.
Direct reporting to police is not the same pathway as submitting an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip. Residents should not assume that the alternative channels provide the same anonymity.
What is known about the national breach
The Canadian Press reported on October 27 that a CBC investigation found more than 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over 25 years were exposed in the breach.
Navigate360, the U.S.-based company that operates the P3 tip-management platform, said an unauthorized third party accessed one of its systems and copied data between November 21, 2025, and March 5, 2026. Global News reported that the company said names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses may have been affected, depending on the record.
The number of exposed tips should not be read as the number of tipsters whose identities are known to have been revealed. The public information reviewed does not establish whose personal details appeared in individual records or whether any Greater Victoria records were among those accessed.
Navigate360 has said it has found no evidence that the exposed information has been used for fraud or identity theft, according to Global News. That statement does not resolve the question of who may have been affected or whether the data could be misused in other ways.
Privacy Commissioner investigates the platform provider
Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne announced on October 27 that his office had opened an investigation into Navigate360. The investigation will examine the security safeguards the company had in place at the time of the breach and whether they complied with Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner says the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act generally does not apply to not-for-profit organizations such as Crime Stoppers. Its investigation is directed at Navigate360, the commercial organization that provides and manages the tip platform. The Commissioner says the matter is active and that no further details can be released at this stage.
What residents should know
Saanich Police says people can use its non-emergency phone line or online reporting while the department pauses its use of Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers. Questions about the national breach itself should be directed to Canadian Crime Stoppers, according to Saanich.
The local review will be important because the breach involves a system built around confidentiality. Saanich has not said whether any Greater Victoria records were affected, what information they may contain, or when it expects to resume using the program.
Sources
- Saanich Police Department — Saanich Police Pauses Use of Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers, October 28, 2026.
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — Investigation into the Crime Stoppers data breach, October 27, 2026.
- The Canadian Press / CityNews — Privacy commissioner opens investigation into Crime Stoppers data breach, October 27, 2026.
- Global News — No evidence stolen Crime Stoppers data used for fraud, provider says, October 27, 2026.
- Global News — Why some Canadian police are still promoting Crime Stoppers despite breach, October 30, 2026.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
