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Crime Stoppers International (CSI), also known as the Crime Stoppers International Foundation, is a non-profit umbrella organisation for Crime Stoppers programs worldwide. Crime Stoppers programs allow members of the public to report information about crime anonymously, typically in exchange for a cash reward where the information leads to an arrest. CSI supports a network of national and regional Crime Stoppers programs in more than 30 countries, operates a global platform for anonymous reporting of transnational crime, and works with international law enforcement bodies including Interpol.[1][2]

History

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The Crime Stoppers concept originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976, when Detective Greg MacAleese, investigating the murder of petrol station attendant Michael Carmen, appealed to the public through a televised re-enactment and offered a reward and anonymity for information.[3][4] The model spread through the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere, and Crime Stoppers International was established as the coordinating body for the programs.[citation needed]

CSI historically has been governed by a volunteer board, hosted an annual international training conference, and been funded by dues from member organisations.[citation needed] The 35th annual conference was held in Cape Town in 2014, the first in Africa;[5] the 39th was held in The Hague in 2018, where Sharon Hanlon of Australia became the first woman elected president of the organisation.[6]

In 2019 a Crime Stoppers program was launched in the Philippines at an anti-crime summit in Mandaluyong, with the backing of the Federation of Philippine Industries and the National Capital Region Police Office.[7]

Aylo trust and safety review

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In January 2024 CSI announced a working relationship with Aylo, the owner of Pornhub, and its private equity owner Ethical Capital Partners, following Aylo's deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. prosecutors over allegations relating to sex trafficking.[8][9] Under the arrangement CSI was engaged to review Aylo's trust and safety policies and processes, which are intended to prevent child sexual abuse material and non-consensual imagery from appearing on its platforms, and to make recommendations for improvement.[10][11] CSI said it regarded engagement with the adult industry as preferable to exclusion and that access to the company's internal processes offered a practical route to reducing harm.[12][13]

The arrangement drew criticism within the Crime Stoppers network. In April 2024 Crime Stoppers Australia ended its membership of CSI, stating that the partnership was at odds with its charitable purpose, after South Australia Police suspended its relationship with the Australian body in protest; a CSI board member also resigned.[12][14][11] CSI completed the review in 2025 and provided a report with recommendations to Aylo.[15] It had initially indicated the report would be made public, but later said a confidentiality clause prevented its release.[11]

Cooperation with Interpol

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CSI has supported Interpol's Operation Infra (International Fugitive Round-Up and Arrest) since the first global Infra-Red operation in 2009–2010, which targeted fugitives subject to Red Notices for offences including murder, child sexual abuse and drug trafficking.[16][17] CSI staff were seconded to Interpol's General Secretariat in Lyon during the operations, and national Crime Stoppers programs served as an anonymous channel for public information on the targeted fugitives.[16][18]

In November 2010 the 79th Interpol General Assembly in Doha approved a resolution formalising cooperation between the two organisations, and a cooperation agreement was signed by Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble and CSI President Michael Gordon-Gibson.[19] Interpol reported that the 2010 operation led to more than 130 fugitives being arrested or located in 32 countries.[19] CSI continued to participate in subsequent regional Infra operations, including Infra-SA, Infra-SEA and Infra Americas, which Interpol stated had collectively produced more than 500 arrests and positive locations by 2013.[20]

Leadership and strategy

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CSI is governed by an international volunteer board drawn from member organisations, with day-to-day operations led by a chief executive officer.[21] Shane Britten served as CEO until 2025, when the board announced that Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon, who had held that role for two years, would succeed him.[15][21][citation needed]

Van Loon is an Australian former counter-terrorism case officer and intelligence professional who spent almost a decade in the United States advising corporations and institutions on security and insider risk before joining CSI.[1][22] She is a member of the World Economic Forum's Coalition for Digital Safety and the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime.[1]

Van Loon has received several Australian security and intelligence industry awards. In 2024 she was named Outstanding Female Security Professional at the Australian Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), presented alongside the Australian Security Industry Awards for Excellence,[23][24] and received the David Irvine AO Memorial Award from the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO), an annual award recognising an outstanding contribution to the intelligence profession in Australia.[25][26][15] In 2025 she was named Most Outstanding in Protective Security at the Australian Women in Security Awards,[27] and in 2026 she was included in the Security Industry Association's Women in Security Forum Power 100.[28]

In 2026 CSI published a 2026–2029 strategic plan, No Light Between the Shields, with three stated priorities: strengthening anonymous reporting, expanding the organisation's reach through the Crime Stoppers network and partner organisations, and establishing a Global Intelligence Fusion Centre intended to convert community reports into de-identified intelligence for law enforcement.[2][21] Van Loon has described the fusion centre as a response to crime that crosses borders and moves faster than the systems built to address it, arguing that individual anonymous tips need to be connected across jurisdictions to reveal trafficking and fraud networks.[21]

Cybercrime Bounty program

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In November 2025 CSI and the cybersecurity company Fortinet announced a partnership and a Cybercrime Bounty program, under which members of the public can anonymously report information about the people behind cybercrime, with rewards offered for information that leads to arrests.[29] Under the arrangement CSI provides the anonymous reporting infrastructure while Fortinet's threat intelligence team assesses tips and, where appropriate, refers packages to law enforcement.[15] The program is distinct from a bug bounty program in that it targets the individuals committing cybercrime rather than software vulnerabilities.[30]

In July 2026 CSI launched Operation Silent Vector, the first named action under the program, seeking information on the INC Ransomware ransomware-as-a-service group and its affiliates.[31] Fortinet's Derek Manky described the program at Black Hat USA 2026 as an attempt to address attribution, which he characterised as the hardest problem in threat intelligence, by adding human-sourced information to technical indicators.[32]

National programs

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Canada

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In Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously in R v Leipert, [1997] 1 S.C.R. 281, that police are not required to disclose information received through the Crime Stoppers program, holding that informer privilege is of fundamental importance to the criminal justice system and cannot be balanced against other interests once established.[33]

Barbados

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In 2009 Crime Stoppers Barbados reported that tips had resulted in 18 arrests, 34 charges and 23 cases cleared for the year, and was described by its chairman as the fastest-growing program in the international network at that time.[34][35]

Guatemala

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Crime Stoppers Guatemala operates under an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior and runs the anonymous tip website tupista.gt.[36] With support from the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, it launched a call centre in late 2021, which received over 37,000 calls during 2022.[37][38]

The president of Crime Stoppers in Guatemala is a member of a well known family of business owners in that country.[who?] In 2018, together with other business leaders, he admitted to illegally financing a political party.[which?][39] Charges were dropped after the investigating body was disbanded.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Hayley van Loon CSM". PSG Conference 2025. 9 September 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 "About us". Crime Stoppers International. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  3. ↑ MacAleese, Greg (12 July 2016). Crime Stoppers: The Inside Story. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781533259721.
  4. ↑ Millar, Cal (7 August 2014). What Is Crime Stoppers. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781500645939.
  5. ↑ "SA lands Crime Stoppers conference". Post (South Africa). 17 September 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Abramjee, Yusuf (9 November 2018). "Mobilising the world against criminality". The Star (South Africa). Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Global scheme ensuring crime tipsters' anonymity launched in PH". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Crime Stoppers International, Aylo and Ethical Capital Partners Enter Working Relationship" (Press release). Ethical Capital Partners. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Montreal-based Pornhub owner reaches deal with U.S. prosecutors over ties to alleged sex trafficking". CBC.ca. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Crime Stoppers under fire after signing security deal with adult site PornHub". The Nightly. 30 March 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 "Crime Stoppers isn't publishing its report into child sexual abuse on Pornhub". The Logic. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Pornhub link to Crime Stoppers International sparks Australian arm to quit deal". The Nightly. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Duffy, Andrew (19 February 2024). "Pornhub's Ottawa owners join forces with Crime Stoppers International". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  14. ↑ "Crime Stoppers Australia terminates membership with international program" (Press release). Crime Stoppers Australia. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Impact". Crime Stoppers International. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Fugitives tracked down in INTERPOL-led international operation" (Press release). Interpol. 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "INTERPOL-led operation to track international fugitives calls for public assistance" (Press release). Interpol. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "INTERPOL calls on public to help track international fugitives in global operation" (Press release). Interpol. 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  19. 1 2 "INTERPOL and Crime Stoppers International enhance their co-operation against transnational crime and fugitives" (Press release). Interpol. November 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "INTERPOL requests public assistance to track international fugitives across Americas" (Press release). Interpol. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Crime Stoppers International: When Anonymous Reporting Can Change Everything, the Technology Behind it Has to Work". SixPivot. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Speaker: Hayley Van Loon". Fortinet Accelerate 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "2024 Australian Security Industry Awards Recipients". Australian Security Industry Association Limited. October 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Recipients of 2024 Australian Security Industry Awards announced". Australia OSPAs. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Annual Awards Program". Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Exploited Online, Trapped Offline: Scam Compounds and Human Trafficking in APAC". Cellebrite. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Hayley van Loon CCAP, MAIPIO". AIPIO National Events. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Security Industry Association Names 2026 Women in Security Forum Power 100 Honorees". SDM Magazine. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Fortinet and Crime Stoppers International Launch Global Cybercrime Bounty Program" (Press release). Fortinet. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026 – via GlobeNewswire.
  30. ↑ "A Conversation with Crime Stoppers International About Our Shared Cybercrime Bounty Initiative". Fortinet Blog. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "Crime Stoppers International seeking tips on INC Ransom as part of new bounty program: Operation Silent Vector". DataBreaches.net. 30 July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "Cybercrime bounty program targets global threat actors". SiliconANGLE. 5 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Greater Vancouver Crime Stoppers (12 November 2007). "Crime Stoppers Anonymity Guaranteed". Greater Vancouver Crime Stoppers. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009.
  34. ↑ Staff writer (8 January 2009). "Tips to Crime Stoppers helping lawmen". Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 10 January 2010.[dead link]
  35. ↑ W., L. (18 December 2009). "Tips flowing in to local crime body". Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 23 December 2009.[dead link]
  36. ↑ "Fortalecerán denuncia ciudadana por medio de plataforma Crime Stoppers". Ministerio de Gobernación (in Spanish). 16 June 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  37. ↑ "CSI Awards otorgó dos premios a Crime Stoppers Guatemala por innovación en la comunicación y llamado a la denuncia". tupista.gt (in Spanish). 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  38. ↑ "Crime Stoppers, PNC y la denuncia ciudadana: una herramienta contra la delincuencia". La Hora (in Spanish). 25 January 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  39. ↑ Cumes, William (20 April 2018). ""Pedimos disculpas a Guatemala", dicen empresarios que financiaron a FCN-Nación – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  40. ↑ Arana, Lourdes (25 November 2021). "CC confirma que empresarios no enfrentarán juicio por caso financiamiento al FCN". La Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
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