Policy

Crime Canada Tip Policy

How to share crime-related information responsibly, and what we do (and do not do) with submissions.

Not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger or a crime is in progress, call 911. For non-emergency reporting, contact your local police service using their published non-emergency number.

Submit a tip Request a data correction

CrimeCanada.ca is an independent public information project. We are not a police service, and we do not provide legal advice.

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Why we accept tips

Tips help us improve public-facing information, including crime news summaries, safety explainers, and context for maps and statistics. Submissions can highlight issues that deserve follow-up, correct errors, or point us to publicly available sources.

What tips can help with

  • Flagging a missing update (e.g., a police news release, court outcome, or corrected location).
  • Pointing to publicly available sources we should review (official releases, court documents, reputable coverage).
  • Identifying data-quality issues (duplicates, wrong category, incorrect date range).
  • Suggesting topics for safety education (fraud patterns, repeat prevention questions, local resources).

What tips cannot do

  • Start or replace a police investigation.
  • Guarantee publication or updates on a schedule.
  • Provide legal advice or confirm whether a publication ban exists.
  • Resolve disputes or remove accurate public-interest reporting when supported by reliable sources.

What to include in a useful tip

If you choose to share information, include only what you can explain clearly and, where possible, back with a public source.

Helpful details

  • Where: city/town and province/territory (or neighbourhood if you prefer).
  • When: date and approximate time window (or “early January 2026”).
  • What: a plain-language description of what you believe happened.
  • Source: links, case/file numbers, press releases, or other public references (if available).
  • Why it matters: what you think is wrong/missing, or what should be reviewed.

Preferred supporting sources

  • Official public communications (police/service news releases, government notices).
  • Court decisions or filings that are publicly available and lawfully shareable.
  • Credible, attributable reporting from established outlets.
  • Public statistical releases (e.g., annual/quarterly datasets or reports).

What not to submit

Please do not send private personal data. To reduce privacy risks, avoid full names, home addresses, phone numbers, licence plates, workplaces, or identifying details about private individuals.

We may refuse or redact submissions that include

  • Identifying details about youth/minors involved in youth justice matters.
  • Content that appears to breach a court order or publication ban.
  • Unverified allegations about identifiable private individuals.
  • Hate, harassment, threats, or attempts to encourage vigilantism.
  • Graphic imagery, or content that could endanger someone if published.

Safer alternatives

  • If it’s urgent: call 911 (or your local emergency number).
  • For non-urgent reporting: use your local police non-emergency channel.
  • For anonymous reporting options: look for established community tip programs available in your area.
  • For fixing our content: use Data Corrections (fastest route for site updates).

Privacy and confidentiality

We aim to minimize personal information, redact identifying details when appropriate, and use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards. However, we cannot guarantee anonymity for any online submission.

What we may collect

  • The content you submit (and any attachments).
  • Your contact details if you choose to provide them (e.g., email).
  • Basic technical logs used by most websites (e.g., IP address, browser info) for security and abuse prevention.
Digital security and privacy concept illustration

How we may use it

  • To assess credibility and decide whether follow-up is warranted.
  • To correct or improve our reporting, maps, or explanatory content.
  • To contact you for clarification (if you provide contact details).
  • To mitigate immediate safety risks (including, in rare cases, sharing limited information with appropriate authorities).

If you do not want us to retain or review certain details, do not include them in your submission.

How we review tips

We treat tips as leads, not confirmed facts. When we use tip information, we aim to corroborate it using reliable, publicly available sources. If we cannot corroborate a claim, we may decline to publish it or may publish only high-level, non-identifying context.

Typical review steps

  • Triage for safety and clear privacy risks.
  • Check for supporting public sources and consistency.
  • Redact/avoid identifying details where appropriate.
  • Decide whether to publish, update data, or hold for reference.

Editorial standards we follow

  • Use neutral language (e.g., “alleged,” “police said,” “court records indicate”) unless there is a conviction.
  • Avoid naming private individuals unless there is a clear public-interest basis and reliable sourcing.
  • Respect youth protections and avoid identifiable details in youth justice contexts.
Balance scale representing fairness and accountability

Submit a tip

To send information to our team, email [email protected] with “Tip” in the subject line. If you are requesting a correction to a specific page or dataset, include the URL and the corrected information (with sources if possible).

Safety reminder: Do not put yourself at risk to gather information. Do not attempt to confront suspects or conduct investigations. Use official channels for urgent or dangerous situations.

Policy updates: We may update this page as our processes evolve. Last reviewed: January 2026.