Frequently Asked Questions

Crime Stoppers is a registered charitable organization that receives calls and tips online from individuals who want to report information about a crime and wish to remain totally anonymous. Crime Stoppers is one way that citizens can assist law enforcement by providing information and never having to identify themselves or testify in court.

At Crime Stoppers, we believe everyone has the right to feel safe, regardless of where they live in New Brunswick.

We're here to help you tackle crime in your community - by phone, mobile app, and online, 24/7, 365 days a year.

We're an independent Canadian Registered Charity that gives you the power to speak up and stop crime anonymously.

We know that it can be difficult to come forward with information. You might have seen or heard something about a crime but don't know what to do or are scared to give information for fear of reprisal. It's easy to think there is nothing you can do, but we offer you a safe, secure, and anonymous way to do this.

Call us in both official languages

Our Toll-Free Tipsline at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) has trained and confidential bilingual (English & French) operators to assist you and guide you through the process.

Crime Stoppers takes tips about crimes that have already been committed or are about to occur. Crime Stoppers also takes information regarding the whereabouts of wanted persons, stolen property, narcotics, or any other criminal activity. If you’re not sure that what you saw or heard is really a crime, call anyway. Let law enforcement decide if it’s worth investigating. It may be the missing piece of the puzzle or clue to a larger investigation.

Information we cannot process:

Crime Stoppers is not an emergency service, so it is important to contact the police immediately using 9-1-1 if there is an emergency occurring or you or someone is in immediate danger.

We also cannot take information or tips from a victim of a particular crime or incident.

As a registered charity, there are some instances where we are not the organization to contact. In some circumstances, we are unable to process the information being given.

I don’t want to get involved, so can I contact Crime Stoppers in an emergency?

No. We are an independent registered charity and not part of the police or government agency. If you wish to contact law enforcement in an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

What if I’m receiving scam emails or phone calls?

If you are receiving emails or phone calls, which you believe to be a scam, report this to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

What if I have information about driving offences?

Information about driving offences includes: speeding, driving while on the phone, not wearing a seatbelt, careless/dangerous driving, or driving while intoxicated. The police need sworn witness testimony to pursue these offences, so reports must be made directly to them.

Can I call Crime Stoppers because of a noise complaint?

No. Only your local law enforcement can deal with noise complaints.

Can I pass on information about prostitution and solicitation to Crime Stoppers?

Yes. We absolutely take all information on this type of crime.

Can I report something that may pose a threat to National security, such as terrorism or espionage?

To report an immediate threat to national security, please call 9-1-1 or your local law enforcement. You can also contact The RCMP’s National Security Information Line at 1-800-420-5805 or via email at RCMP.NSIN-RISN.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Can I report information about an Insurance Crime?

Insurance crime affects everyone. When someone steals a car, burglarizes a home, vandalizes property or makes a false or exaggerated claim, everyone has to pay more than they should for insurance. We do take anonymous tips regarding insurance crime. However, you can alternatively submit a confidential tip to Équité Association by visiting their website, or calling 1-877-422-8477.

Can I contact Crime Stoppers regarding suspected tax evasion or cases of international tax non-compliance?

You can report suspected tax evasion over the Internet or by contacting Canada Revenue Agency’s National Leads Centre at 1-866-809-6841. Your identity will not be disclosed and you may provide information anonymously.

Can I report suspected situations of sexual exploitation of children?

If you know about a child who is in immediate danger or risk, call 9-1-1 or your law enforcement.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (Cybertip.ca or 1-866-658-9022) receives and addresses online and telephone reports from the public regarding: Child pornography (child abuse images and material), Online luring, Child exploitation through prostitution, Travelling to sexually exploit children, Child trafficking, Making sexually explicit material available to a child, Agreement or arrangement with another person to commit a sexual offence against a child.

If the caller is a victim, they must report the crime to law enforcement directly or a Victim Services program. A victim cannot report a crime to Crime Stoppers because they would be identified by the information and therefore lose their anonymity.

Crime Stoppers can take your anonymous information three ways:

TALK to our trained information takers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
TYPE your information into our secure on-line tip submission form.
TAP and download our free and secure Mobile App

Your anonymous information is then passed along to the investigators at the appropriate law enforcement agency (RCMP, Municipal or Regional Police Force, Department of Justice and Public Safety, or Fisheries and Oceans Canada). The “TIPSTER” (that’s you) is never identified but is assigned a code number. The tip is investigated. The law enforcement agency will inform Crime Stoppers on how the case is progressing, so it is important for the TIPSTER to call back for an update on the case during regular business hours (a number will be provided for you to call back). If you have submitted your information securely online, you can followup or add additional information by clicking here.

By submitting your information to Crime Stoppers via the P3 Tips Online Form and/or Mobile Application, you agree to the following Terms of Use:

Anonymity

Provide no identifying information about yourself if you wish to remain anonymous.

Emergencies

This form should not be used for emergencies. You acknowledge and confirm that the information you are providing is not urgent or requires prompt or immediate attention, and you understand that you should Call 9-1-1 or contact the appropriate authorities by phone if this is time-sensitive information.

Follow-up

A code will be issued to you when you submit your information. This code can be used to check on the status of a report or to answer follow-up questions about the information that you submit. You will also be able to upload additional images using this code. To follow-up on a report, you can log-in to our site later using a code and password that will be assigned to you automatically when you submit this report. Due to the high volume of information that is received, the recipient may be unable to reply to every submission.

How can a tipster recover a username or password?

It is not possible for an anonymous tipster to recover a lost username or password as tips should not be connected to personal information of anonymous tipsters such as an email address or phone number. However, if a tipster has lost the username or password then they can submit another tip and indicate in the narrative that the tip is related to an existing tip.

Submission and Disposition

Although we utilize physical, electronic and administrative safeguards, including industry-standard encryption, due to the nature of the Internet and SMS delivery networks, we do not guarantee 100% security or timely delivery or reception of the submitted information. We do not guarantee or assume any responsibility for: If, How or When any submitted information may be reviewed or acted upon by law enforcement or Public Safety officials. Because reports you submit may not be monitored by such parties on a regular basis, you should not use this service to report events presenting an immediate danger to life or property, or which otherwise constitutes an emergency. As such, reports may not receive an immediate response.

Improper Use

The information that you provide on this form must be correct to the best of your knowledge. The deliberate provision of false information may be investigated and potentially prosecuted. This information submission system is provided to the public for the purpose of anonymously reporting known or suspected suspicious or criminal activity which has occurred, or may occur. Any misuse or abuse of this system is strictly prohibited. You acknowledge and confirm that the information you are providing is not urgent or requiring prompt or immediate attention, and you understand that you should Call 9-1-1 or contact the appropriate authorities by phone if this is time-sensitive information. Children under 13 must not disclose personally-identifying information.

What types of files can tipsters upload as tip attachments?

Tipsters can anonymously submit audio, video, image and document files with their tips and via additional two-way dialog. Each upload is limited to a maximum size of 100 mb per file with the following file types being allowed:

Audio: m4p, mp3, wav

Video: avi, flv, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, wma, wmv

Image: gif, jpeg, jpg, png

Documents: doc, docx, pdf, xls, xlsx

Your call to Crime Stoppers will be answered by a person not a machine. Crime Stoppers tips-line operators are specially trained in talking to our callers. They do not use a script or complete a standard form with your information. Each call is unique so our call handlers are responsive to your needs and the information you have.

If for any reason Crime Stoppers cannot take your call, you will not be asked to leave a message. Please call back another time, or submit your tip online.

Crime Stoppers wants your information, not your name. You will be asked questions about the information you are giving us – but you will not be asked your name, address, or anything that will allow us to identify you.

Our call operators are not allowed to let law enforcement know anything about you, which may reveal your identity, e.g. if the call is about a neighbour of yours we will not disclose this. We don’t even make a note of your gender.

Crime Stoppers wants to do the best, but we need as much information as possible from you in order to pass useful data onto law enforcement. This means our Tipsline operators will ask you questions about what you know. This helps check that your information can be acted upon by law enforcement – the more details they have, the more likely they will be able to take action. NEVER put yourself at risk, or abuse a position of trust to discover information about crime or criminals.

This will obviously depend on the crime and what you know. Many of our calls are drug-related – for example, these are some of the questions you may be asked:

• Where are the drugs being sold?
• What makes you think they are being sold there?
• Do you know how much they are being sold for?
• When is the location the busiest?
• Is there any system used by which the dealer lets it know that they are ‘open for business’ e.g. a bedroom light on?
• Where do they keep the drugs?
• Does the dealer come out of the house to meet people?
• Do you know any of the hiding places for the drugs, in a shed / car etc?
• Are there regular cars pulling up, and do you know the license plate numbers?
• Do you know when supplies arrive? This may lead to a supplier further up the chain.

After you give us your information, we create a report that brings together all the information you provided. Our trained information takers will check to make sure that the report contains no information that might identify you.

The report is sent to the relevant authority who will deal with the information. They have the legal responsibility to investigate the information prior to acting on it to ensure the information is correct and not given to us maliciously in order to set someone up. Law Enforcement cannot obtain a search warrant or make an arrest based solely on a tip; there must be other intelligence to support the Crime Stoppers information.

It may take some time before law enforcement can act on the information you have given. There could be many reasons for that; the information may be part of a larger investigation and visible action might be delayed for some time or the information may remain on file to be used at a later time. Even if your information appears not to have been used or if you don’t see a quick resolution, don’t think your information was not useful.

Feel free to call back at any time to add or update information or to just check on the status of your tip. Make sure you give your personal code when you call, otherwise Crime Stoppers will not give you any information about your tip.

This information is then handed over to either the police, Department of Justice and Public Safety or Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO) for further investigation. They are the only sworn officials who can investigate crimes and arrest and charge people, in order to bring them to justice.

Law Enforcement agencies cannot get a search warrant or make an arrest based solely on anonymous information – they are required to thoroughly research the information you give us in order to act on it. There needs to be other intelligence that supports Crime Stoppers’ information. The research they do on Crime Stoppers’ information means they can use it with confidence. This ensures that information is correct and not given to us maliciously in order to set someone up.

Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display or call trace on any of its telephones nor do we record any calls and your IP address is not available to us. That would be in direct contradiction to one of the cornerstones of the Crime Stoppers program – anonymity. Crime Stoppers promises that you will remain anonymous no matter how you provide us with your information (Tipsline, secure webform or P3 Mobile App). If we subscribed to call display or call trace, that promise of anonymity would be gone and the program would suffer serious consequences.

Crime Stoppers is not run by the police. We are separate and apart from any Law Enforcement Agency. N.B. Crime Stoppers is a Registered Charity and community-focused organization, operated and managed by volunteers from the community.

Crime Stoppers can offer anonymity to its callers because of a legal rule of evidence, which states law enforcement does not have to reveal information that might identify a person who supplies them with information concerning criminal activity.

In February of 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously decided that callers to Crime Stoppers programs were entitled to the protection of this privilege. In a typical case that started from a Crime Stoppers tip, the identity of the informer is unknown to both the Crime Stoppers Coordinator who took the call or internet tip, and the case investigator. The Supreme Court went on to confirm that the privilege is so broad in scope that it prevents disclosure not only of the name of the informer (even if it were to be known) but also of any information that might implicitly reveal his or her identity. This is the premise behind the claim that “Crime Stoppers promises the tipster’s anonymity.”

If the information is credible and law enforcement uses the information to help solve a crime, you may be eligible for an award of up to $2,000. An award must be recommended and approved by the Board of Directors of a local Crime Stoppers chapter. Once the award is approved, arrangements are made for the tipster to pick up their cash award in a way that is secure and protects their anonymity.

Read more about how to retrieve a cash award

N.B. Crime Stoppers – Digital Media Services owns and maintains several website addresses (known as URLs) to easily direct visitors and users to various sections of our website and social media operations. For example: Many sites like X (Twitter) limit the number of characters used when sending messages, so lengthy website addresses will automatically be shortened using our URL shortener service (1800222.tips) powered by bitly™. The URL address for this FAQ page, for instance, will look like this: https://1800222.tips/3gNpbEg. If you see a link from us on our website, or in an email that you’re unsure about, do not hesitate to email us at: support@nbcs-ecnb.ca. Here is a complete list of the website addresses we own and maintain:

• www.crimenb.ca | Primary Website Address
• www.nbcs-ecnb.ca | Administration and Volunteer Access (Corporate Use Only)
• 1800222.tips | URL (website address) shortener service powered by bitly™

P3 is the chosen tip management solution for nearly 400 Crime Stoppers programs worldwide, providing N.B. Crime Stoppers with a secure and encrypted tip submission form online and the P3 Tips Mobile Application for Apple and Android devices.

The P3 name is derived from 'Public, Police, and Private Sector' - working together to solve and prevent crime. The P3 Global Intel Tip Management platform enables the public to share information anonymously with Crime Stoppers programs, Law Enforcement entities, schools, and large corporations around the world.

P3 Global Intel is owned and managed by Ohio-based Navigate360 (https://navigate360.com/company/). Their Terms of Use can be viewed here.

Currently, the P3 Tips Mobile App is available in English only. However, our service provider, Navigate360, is developing a solution to offer the content in multiple languages - including French. In the interim, our secure webform can be accessed directly on your mobile device by navigating to: www.signalement.ca

Absolutely - We not only have several LGBTQIA2S+ members and volunteers, Crime Stoppers takes a tough stance against discrimination and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and indigenous 2-spirited people.

Although Crime Stoppers cannot take calls from victims themselves, we do accept tips related to violence or assaults on any individual, homophobic or transphobic graffiti, anti-gay or hate crimes, and human trafficking.

Many people just like you contact Crime Stoppers every week to tell us about a crime. Each tip is reviewed by our trained personnel before it’s forwarded to our law enforcement partners.

We help to ease some of the burden that can develop when you know information but are unsure of what to do with it. We know that sometimes picking up the phone and talking to a stranger about an awful situation is not easy. Our trained operators empathize with each and every tipster and give them our full attention.

Speak Up. Stop Crime. Stay Safe. We promise anonymity.

There are no police officers or police personnel at the Crime Stoppers Contact Centre. The Tipsline operators are trained to have a personable conversation with someone rather than interrogating them for facts and figures. We don't take the name of the person that calls us or subscribe to caller ID, and no recordings are made.

The Tipsline operators are provided with the skills to get as much information as possible without ever compromising a caller's anonymity. Callers are often surprised at how much information they do know, it just takes some time to dig around and root it out.

Learn how to provide a quality tip

No - Unfortunately, because of technical and security issues out of our control, the anonymous tips via text messaging service ended in December 2018. Tips can only be received via our Anonymous Tipsline, Secure Webform, or the P3 Tips Mobile App. Any information sent via the former text messaging service will no longer be received or responded to. We apologize for the inconvenience.