Our Impact

Strategic Partnership with The Ranch announced

We are delighted to announce a new strategic partnership with The Ranch aimed at enhancing collaboration in the fight against crime, and strengthening collective responses to global and transnational criminal activity.

The partnership brings together The Ranch’s commitment to professional development and operational excellence with Crime Stoppers International’s global network dedicated to anonymous community reporting and law enforcement collaboration.

Together, we will explore opportunities to support law enforcement, strengthen intelligence-sharing capabilities, and contribute to coordinated efforts addressing emerging crime trends — including transnational and cyber-enabled threats.

In announcing the partnership, CSI CEO Hayley van Loon said, “Crime today is increasingly transnational, networked, and adaptive. Addressing it requires trusted partnerships that strengthen collaboration across borders and sectors,” and “Our partnership with The Ranch reflects a shared commitment to empowering communities, supporting law enforcement, and exploring innovative approaches that enhance global crime prevention efforts.”

Chad Timney, Founder & CEO of The Ranch, added, “We are proud to partner with Crime Stoppers International in advancing collaborative solutions to modern crime challenges. By bringing together operational expertise, training environments, and global community networks, we have an opportunity to strengthen connections and support law enforcement professionals confronting complex and evolving threats.”

Both parties look forward to announcing further details regarding joint initiatives and areas of collaboration as the partnership develops.

New CSI Global Perspectives series launched

As crime becomes increasingly transnational, our response must be equally coordinated, informed, and global.

Our new Crime Stoppers International Global Perspectives Series will explore emerging and evolving forms of crime that threaten public safety and social stability. Drawing on international expertise, the series will provide evidence-based perspectives to inform policy, enforcement, and prevention strategies.

We are very proud to publish the first paper in this new series, The Australian Illicit Cigarette Trade: The Role of Transnational Organized Crime, Terrorism, and Societal Harm, authored by Professor Rohan Gunaratna, Member of the Crime Stoppers International Expert Advisory Panel and Founder of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (Singapore).

Prof Gunaratna’s paper examines how illicit tobacco markets are not merely a taxation issue — but a conduit for transnational organized crime, terrorist financing, corruption, and broader societal harm. In doing so, it underscores the intersection of criminal enterprise, policy gaps, enforcement challenges, and community impact.

New CSI Board Director appointed

At it’s February Meeting, the CSI Board of Directors warmly welcomed Mr Axel van Pel, nominated by Meld Misdaad Anoniem (Crime Stoppers Netherlands, also known simply as ‘M’) on behalf of Region 4 Europe.

Axel is Directeur-bestuurder (Managing Director) of Meld Misdaad Anoniem and NL Confidential – a role he has held since December 2020. Earlier career highlights include National Coordinator for Collaboration & Alliances, Dutch Police; Senior Strategy Advisor Dutch Police Institute; and Senior Researcher/Advisor, Van Dijk Van Soomeren en Partners B.V. specializing in crime prevention, social issues, and safety.

Crime Stoppers International is grateful to Meld Misdaad Anoniem for recognizing the importance of a strong network of Crime Stoppers programs worldwide and acknowledging how much Crime Stoppers organizations can learn from one another to achieve more effective and efficient service delivery.

New Specialist Advisor appointed

We are thrilled to announce Mr Craig Jones has joined CSI as a member of our Specialist Advisory Panel. Craig brings strong expertise in strategic foresight and prediction in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, as well as significant hands-on experience having headed up INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate from 2019 to 2024.

Today, Craig leads CyPol Advisory which he founded in 2024 offering services based around his expertise and experience as stated, plus organizational transformation and resilience, global policy and strategy shaping, high-level representation and multi-stakeholder collaboration, operational impact and capacity building.

Craig is also a Foundation Board Member of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

It’s great to have you onboard, Craig!

World Economic Forum – Davos, Switzerland

The 2026 WEF Annual Meeting brings together world leaders from government, business, civil society and academia to engage in forward-looking discussions that address global issues and set priorities.

CSI CEO Hayley van Loon was invited to attend this prestigious event and participated as a panel member alongside representatives from Europol, the Cyber Threat Alliance and Fortinet that examined the issue of incentivizing cybercrime disruption. The discussion centred around Crime Stoppers International’s Cybercrime Bounty program and the role of incentives, public reporting and public-private collaboration in disrupting cyber-enabled crime.

Also in attendance representing Crime Stoppers International and Region 3 programs (Caribbean, Bermuda & Latin America) was CSI Director Alejo Campos.

TRAFFIC Project – Phase II

Following the successful development and trial of a mobile app that allows airport staff to report non-urgent indications of international wildlife trafficking, TRAFFIC and Crime Stoppers International are set to embark on Phase II of this major project.

The overarching project goal remains to provide airport personnel with a simple, secure, multi-language mobile app giving them direct and anonymous access to report indications of criminal activity, but the scope and supporting functions of this important tool will be expanded to other crime types through a convergence of crime lens – human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other contraband eg gold and cultural heritage.

Q4 Newsletter – out now

Our Q4 eNewsletter reflects on the last 12 months, including the strength and reach of our international partnerships, our unwavering commitment to contribute to thought leadership, and our role in advancing best practice on the world stage.

You can access our end-of-year eNewsletter here, and we encourage you to sign-up to receive it direct to your Inbox.

Global recognition for CEO

In its Nov/Dec edition, the Women in Security Magazine profiled our CEO Hayley van Loon.

Produced bi-monthly, this global publication explores Hayley’s journey as a woman who has forged a career path spanning intelligence, protective security, and global risk; recognizes her operational achievements, advocacy efforts and advisory roles; and highlights several prestigious awards she has received, including the 2025 Silver Global Impact Award from the Women Changing the World Awards (London), the 2024 David Irvine AO Memorial Award for Outstanding Female Security Professional Awards (Australia), and as a finalist in the Global Outstanding Security Awards.

CSI and Fortinet launch global Cybercrime Bounty program

Crime Stoppers International has partnered with global cybersecurity leader Fortinetto launch the Cybercrime Bountyprogram—an ambitious initiative designed to disrupt cybercrime by harnessing community intelligence.

Building on our nearly 50-year legacy as the world’s only global platform for anonymous crime reporting, this program extends our trusted model into the digital realm, enabling safe, anonymous submissions of cybercrime intelligence from citizens, ethical hackers, researchers, and private-sector experts.

CSI will provide the secure reporting infrastructure, while Fortinet will assess incoming intelligence and, where appropriate, forward actionable packages to law enforcement for investigation and prosecution. This public–private collaboration exemplifies our core model: community participation, anonymous reporting, and coordinated law enforcement engagement. The Cybercrime Bounty program will empower individuals worldwide to help identify cyber offenders and strengthen digital resilience by making high-quality human intelligence available to authorities.

CEO Hayley van Loon emphasized the significance of this milestone: “Cybercrime is borderless, fast-moving, and increasingly sophisticated. Tackling it requires collective intelligence and broad participation. Through this partnership with Fortinet, we are creating a powerful bridge between communities and cybersecurity experts. It also reinforces Crime Stoppers International’s global leadership in anonymous reporting and positions our organization at the forefront of a new era in cybercrime prevention.”

Cellebrite APAC Webinar – Tackling Digital Trafficking and Scam Compounds

Human trafficking is evolving rapidly across the Asia-Pacific, with scam compounds emerging as one of the region’s most urgent and complex threats. These criminal operations lure victims through online deception, coercing them into fraudulent digital activities. As these networks expand across borders and exploit technological loopholes, traditional investigative methods are being outpaced.

To address this growing crisis, Cellebrite dedicated the final session of its 2025 APAC Webinar Series to exploring how digital intelligence and cross-border collaboration can disrupt these transnational crimes and dismantle trafficking and scam operations.

Our CEO Hayley van Loon joined a lineup of distinguished speakers from law enforcement, intelligence, and the NGO sector examining the rise of scam compounds, the exploitation of victims, and the critical role of digital forensics in identifying perpetrators and enabling justice. Hayley’s participation underscored Crime Stoppers International’s commitment to collaborative, tech-enabled solutions in the fight against organized crime, and her fellow panellists were:

• Shigeru Yotoriyama – Retired Senior Commissioner, National Police Agency Japa

• Kaushal Bheda – Director, Pelorus Technologies

• Matt Parker – Cellebrite SME and former CEO of The Exodus Road; and

• Nur Azhar Ayob – VP Business Development, Cellebrite APAC

CSI 2025 Annual General Meeting

At its recent AGM, the Board of Crime Stoppers International farewelled long-time Director and Region 7 representative, Yusuf Ambramjee. Yusuf’s contribution over many years was acknowledged, including his public support and active promotion of CSI via his very strong social media presence, activity and following, and through his role as etv/eNCA Crime Watch anchor.

In addition to the reappointment of Directors Brigadier Attie Lamprecht (Region 7) and Alex MacDonald with Alex appointed to the Executive Committee as Immediate Past President, the Board extended a warm welcome to Alejo Campos (Region 3), current Executive Director for the Crime Stoppers CBLA Foundation.

Important corporate governance reforms ratified at the AGM included representation by Members to now be up to two nominees per Region (as opposed to three), and the ability of the Board of Directors to appoint up to six independent Directors.

Special thanks to those of our invited guests who attended.

ICMEC Australia Symposium – Sydney

The protection of children is a collective responsibility, and collaboration remains our strongest tool.

CSI Head of Program Delivery & Impact, Davina Mansfield, represented us at the ICMEC Australia Symposium 2025: Convergenceat the beginning of this month, where leaders gathered to address the rapidly evolving landscape of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). Representatives from government, law enforcement, technology, finance, and civil society came together with one shared goal: to protect children.

The misuse of technology continues to accelerate this silent and devastating pandemic, and demands a coordinated, system-wide response – enhanced reporting pathways, public awareness, and trusted partnerships were all acknowledged as essential in preventing and responding to CSEA.

The Symposium highlighted the importance of cross-industry collaboration and the critical role of professionals in detecting, disrupting, and preventing harm, and CSI was privileged to attend and contribute to the discussions.

United for Wildlife Global Summit – Rio de Janeiro

Our CEO Hayley van Loon along with CSI Director Alejo Campos joined several of our partners and 400 global leaders at The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife Global Summit in Rio de Janeiro, hosted with INTERPOL, UNODC, and the Federal Police of Brazil.

The conference reinforced the urgent need to address wildlife crime not only as a conservation issue, but as a form of serious and organized crime. The same illicit networks and financial flows used to traffic wildlife are also used to move drugs, weapons and other illegal commodities, fueling corruption and exploitation around the world.

The event afforded the opportunity to meet with many CSI partners and key stakeholders, including TRAFFIC LATAM Program Leader, Renata Cao de la Fuente, who are working tirelessly to disrupt these criminal systems and protect vulnerable species and communities.

CSI Annual Global Awards – winners announced!

Crime Stoppers International’s Annual Awards have long been a prestigious global platform celebrating the remarkable achievements of Crime Stoppers programs and partners, and also honoring individuals who exemplify extraordinary commitment to our mission at local, national, and international levels.

In 2025, our Annual Global Awards underwent a highly successful refresh, including opening the program to direct entries from the corporate sector to allow for recognition of entities – companies, not-for-profits and civil society organizations – not necessarily working directly with a Crime Stoppers program but achieving outstanding results in reducing crime, increasing community awareness for crime, and increasing law enforcement capacity or capability.

The Awards Committee wishes to acknowledge all nominations received, to sincerely thank everyone who prepared a submission, and to congratulate the 2025 winners!

For a full list of winners across every category, including recipients of the prized President’s Award, head on over to our Awards page.

‍ 2025 Sponsors of Brave Awards : journalism and media

Each year, Adcock Ingram and News24 in South Africa recognize and honour bravery in journalism and media. They celebrate the journalists who show up, who dig, verify, question and care .. often doing so at considerable personal risk.  Journalists who bravery, courage and commitment drives them to share the news stories that matter.

Sincere congratulations to Yusuf Abramjee, CSI Board of Directors member, who was again presented with a Sponsors Of Brave Award for his commitment to the challenging and complex topics that he and his Crime Watch production crew on etv/eNCA consistently tackle – reporting truthfully and fearlessly, holding the powers-that-be to account, and providing a voice for the voiceless.

2025 Sponsors of Brave Awards : journalism and media

Each year, Adcock Ingram and News24 in South Africa recognize and honour bravery in journalism and media. They celebrate the journalists who show up, who dig, verify, question and care .. often doing so at considerable personal risk. Journalists who bravery, courage and commitment drives them to share the news stories that matter.

Sincere congratulations to Yusuf Abramjee, CSI Board of Directors member, who was again presented with a Sponsors Of Brave Award for his commitment to the challenging and complex topics that he and his Crime Watch production crew on etv/eNCA consistently tackle – reporting truthfully and fearlessly, holding the powers-that-be to account, and providing a voice for the voiceless.

UN Cybercrime Hackathon – Hanoi, Vietnam

As the world rapidly digitises, cybercrime is one of the greatest threats to people, businesses, and governments.

Crime Stoppers International was proud to support the recent ‘Safeguarding Southeast Asia: Innovating Against Cybercrime’ Hackathon. Organized by RMIT University’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) and also supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, iSPACE Vietnam, NCA, and The Scale Institute, the event brought together young innovators from across Southeast Asia to co-design practical solutions to the Region’s most pressing cybercrime challenges.

Running alongside the signing of the UN Convention Against Cybercrime, the Hackathon offered teams of young innovators a unique opportunity to engage with global efforts to combat online crime. Finalist teams presented proposals across four key tracks: Detection and Prevention, Community Engagement, Secure Communication, and Policy and Advocacy.

Our CEO Hayley van Loon was honored to join the international judging panel and to mentor finalist teams, reinforcing Crime Stoppers International’s strong commitment to collaborative, community-driven crime prevention, and to helping foster Regional resilience in the face of urgent and growing cybersecurity and digital threats.

Public Venue Safety & Security 2025 – Melbourne, Australia

Staging any major event presents a myriad of security and operational challenges and, at this month’s Public Venue Safety & Security 2025 forum, CSI CEO Hayley van Loon spoke of the power of utilizing secure anonymous reporting to mitigate criminal exploitation of large-scale, logistically complex international events.

The value of providing a recognized and trusted channel for citizens to share information that they are not comfortable or willing to report direct via traditional law enforcement channels cannot be over-stated - especially when it comes to addressing risks associated with corruption and human rights violations, terrorism and violent extremism, illicit trade and cybercrime, financial misconduct, public safety and exploitation, VIP and delegate or player welfare, transportation and hospitality concerns, match-fixing and illegal betting .. and much more.

Protective Security and Government (PSG) Conference 2025 – Canberra, Australia

Crime Stoppers International CEO Hayley van Loon has delivered a compelling keynote at the PSG Conference 2025, presenting a case study on ‘Physical Penetration Testing of US Energy Networks’.

Drawing on nearly two decades of intelligence and protective security experience, Hayley shared insights from a real-world covert operation that exposed vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure using the CARVER methodology—highlighting practical strategies to counter espionage and insider threats.

Addressing leaders from government, industry, and academia who had convened under the theme, ‘Beyond Compliance, Towards Capability’, Hayley’s presentation underscored CSI’s global leadership in tackling transnational crime and reinforced the importance of intelligence-led, cross-sector collaboration in strengthening national resilience.

A new era for Crime Stoppers International

We’re excited to announce a new chapter – a new CEO, a renewed vision, and a bold strategy to strengthen our global fight against transnational organized crime.

Over the next 6-18 months, Crime Stoppers International will be rolling out a series of new initiatives designed to expand our partnerships, empower societies and harness innovation to make the world a safer place.

This is more than a refresh – it’s a call to action. Together, we can accelerate our efforts to disrupt criminal networks, protect vulnerable communities and create real change on a global scale.

Are you ready to join us?!? Review our Prospectus and learn how you can make a difference.

New global partnership – Forensic HID Co.

Crime Stoppers has always been about building bridges between communities and law enforcement.

Through a new global partnership with Forensic Human Identification Co. (Forensic HID Co.), CSI will extend that bridge to include world-class forensic human identification services, creating new opportunities to identify victims, advance investigations and support families.

The partnership will focus on strengthening law enforcement capabilities, supporting humanitarian forensics operations, building capacity for regional Crime Stoppers partners, delivering impactful community awareness initiatives, and piloting joint projects that showcase international best practices and innovative forensic techniques for missing and unidentified persons investigations.

By combining CSI’s international network and reporting reach with Forensic HID Co.’s interdisciplinary forensic expertise and human identification technologies, the organizations aim to help address the urgent challenges of missing persons, unidentified decedents, human trafficking, and the complex needs of victim identification and family reunification in humanitarian crises.

62nd Annual IAWP Conference – Glasgow, Scotland

The International Association of Women Police has a membership that represents more than 70 countries. Its Annual Conference is recognized as a highly valued, first-class training event and is the go-to for women police officers and leading law enforcement professionals from around the world. The expansive agenda covered contemporary policing topics, emerging technologies and innovations, building trust and confidence between police and communities, high-profile investigations, and empowering women leaders.

Joining the list of inspiring speakers at this prestigious event was Crime Stoppers International Board Director, Lt Gen Tabello (TC) Mosikili, Deputy Commissioner of South African Police Service alongside an international panel of senior women police from Wales, Suffolk, and Palestine.

Q3 2025 Newsletter

Hot off the press and providing an overview of some of our recent activities, achievements and collaborations, check out our Q3 Newsletter – available here.

Want to stay connected? Want to learn how we’re making a difference? Why not Subscribe to receive our quarterly Newsletter direct to your Inbox!

Head of Program Delivery & Impact

Davina Mansfield is a strategic and results focused C-suite executive with a defence and national security background, and we are delighted to announce that she has joined the Crime Stoppers International executive management team in the new role of Head of Program Delivery and Impact.

Davina brings deep expertise in operational excellence, organizational transformation, and stakeholder engagement across complex environments. Throughout her career, she has successfully led complex operations, scaled high-performing teams, and driven enterprise-wide initiatives to improve efficiency, resilience, and long-term value.

With a strong focus on governance, innovation, and organizational alignment, Davina is known for her ability to guide companies through change and deliver sustainable impact. Welcome aboard, Davina!

Australian OSINT Symposium – Sydney

More than 300 delegates, all seeking to future-proof open-source intelligence (OSINT) tradecraft, leverage AI innovations, and build resilient intelligence capabilities, attended the Australian OSINT Symposium hosted by OSINT Combine.

CSI CEO Hayley van Loon delivered one of the keynotes and outlined how OSINT is being used to support our Stop the Illegal Empire campaign by tracing financial flows, connecting crime types, and enabling more agile, international disruption efforts.

With a focus on capacity building, the Symposium provided a practical roadmap for OSINT practitioners and leaders, intelligence and security professionals, analysts, and researchers to build sustainable, ethical, and technologically adaptive OSINT capabilities all delivered via expert-led presentations, discussions, case studies, and interactive workshops.

2025 Global Anti-Scam Summit – Singapore

CEO Hayley van Loon along with Head of Strategic Technology & Capability Jarrad Warwick had the privilege of attending the Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS) in Singapore.

Across two days of conversations, one theme was clear: scams and financial crime cannot be tackled in isolation. To genuinely protect our most vulnerable communities, it is evident we must go hard at the financial flows fueling these crimes.

Why? Because scams aren’t just about stolen money. The same criminal networks that profit from defrauding everyday citizens are also behind human trafficking, wildlife trafficking, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and other forms of transnational organized crime. The web is interconnected and cutting off the money supply is critical to achieve real disruption.

Public Venue Safety & Security 2025 – Melbourne

Staging any major international event presents complex security and operational challenges, particularly when it comes to criminal threats. So, we have welcomed an invitation to be a Supporting Partner of this upcoming event.

To be held over 3 days, Public Venue Safety & Security 2025 will bring together leaders in safety, security and risk to hear keynote presentations, real-world case studies and panel discussions delivered by experts from law enforcement, emergency services, and venue operations.

Crime Stoppers International will speak to the power of utilizing secure anonymous reporting to mitigate criminal exploitation of large-scale, logistically complex international events. The value of providing a recognized and trusted channel for citizens to share information that they are not comfortable or willing to report direct to traditional law enforcement channels cannot be over-stated. This is especially critical when it comes to mitigating risks associated with corruption and human rights violations, terrorism and violent extremism, illicit trade and cybercrime, financial misconduct, public safety and exploitation, VIP and delegate or player welfare, transportation and hospitality concerns, match-fixing and illegal betting .. and more.

Crime Stoppers International delegates can take advantage of an exclusive 20% discount on the registration fee. Simply register with the Conference organizer.

INTERPOL African Regional Conference – Cape Town, South Africa

We were privileged to have our Region 7 Director and South African Police Service Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tebello (TC) Mosikili, in attendance at this critically important event that saw 188 senior police leaders from 56 countries gather to develop a unified and coordinated approach to tackling the most pressing security challenges for the region.

The Conference’s three-day agenda addressed (1) strategic priorities in the fight against crime in Africa, (2) tackling organized crime and security threats; and (3) enhancing policing capabilities across the region – all of which align with Crime Stoppers International’s mission to support law enforcement efforts to stop, solve, prevent and disrupt serious and transnational organized crime globally.

We applaud INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi’s comment, “The theme of this conference ‘Leveraging cooperation, innovation, and partnerships to fight transnational organized crime,’ reflects the urgent challenges we face, but more importantly, it signals our shared determination to find solutions together”, and we look forward to continuing our work with INTERPOL and the South African Police Service (SAPS) and its CrimeStop service to empower African citizens to anonymously report information about crime.

AIPIO Annual Conference – Sydney

CEO Hayley van Loon has presented at the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers’ (AIPIO) Annual Conference on The Global Intelligence Mission to Find the Missing.

Her presentation shared outcomes from the David Irvine AO Missing Persons Intelligence Innovation Workshop – that brought together experts, practitioners, and partners to explore new intelligence-led approaches to missing persons investigations – and research undertaken with the support of the 2024 David Irvine AO Award bursary that Hayley was awarded in 2024. Key highlights included:

• an overview of Crime Stoppers International’s global initiative on missing persons

• insights and findings from the Innovation Workshop; and

• a path forward for strengthening collaboration, adopting new technologies, and shaping policy to better support families and communities.

Changing of the guard

After serving for five years as volunteer CEO of Crime Stoppers International, Shane Britten is stepping down in order to devote more time to his personal business obligations.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, President Sharon Hanlon, expressed the organization’s sincere thanks for Shane’s contribution, “We wish Shane all the very best and express our sincere gratitude for leading Crime Stoppers International as it delivered highly successful and impactful campaigns and projects, as well as steering the organization through some very challenging times during his tenure.”

The Board is thrilled that Hayley van Loon, who has served as Deputy CEO for the last two years, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer. “While it is definitely sad to say goodbye to Shane, he leaves the organization in very capable hands and will oversee a seamless transition. Hayley is extremely well-regarded by our key stakeholders having forged strong working relationships and significant collaborations with many of them, she has an intimate working knowledge of our organization, and she is incredibly excited at the prospect of leading Crime Stoppers International to achieve its mission through continued collaboration, innovation and global partnerships – as is the Board of Directors and the management team” Ms Hanlon said.

Exposing The Illegal Empire – Season #2

Season 2 of Crime Stoppers International’s popular Exposing the Illegal Empire podcast has dropped! Find it on Spotify or Apple Music to download and listen, or stream online.

Join Hayley van Loon as she speaks with four international experts and explore the dangers of counterfeit medicines, fake beauty and personal care products, human trafficking, and the transnational criminal networks behind them, as well as the critical role financial intelligence plays in dismantling these criminal empires.

TrustCon 2025 – San Francisco

As we continue to work with our partners from law enforcement, civil society and multinational businesses to keep communities safe online, our CEO Shane Britten recently attended TrustCon 2025 – dedicated to bringing together trust and safety professionals to hear of global innovations and ways in which to meet the challenges of keeping platforms and communities safe. A big thank you to the Trust and Safety Professional Association (TSPA) for the event and the wide range of sponsors who made it happen, including Roblox, TikTok, TaskUs, Discord and more.

Held over three days, sessions included insights from industry experts on vital topics, including new, emerging and ongoing challenges facing the Trust and Safety industry. In particular, there was a significant focus on the global adoption of AI, implications for keeping people safe in an era of rapid automation, and privacy impacts for the consumer using these technologies on a day- to-day basis.

Crime Stoppers International was pleased to see a strong focus on the role of the private sector in addressing the challenge of criminal activities in the online space, including the rise of financial extortion via social media and other online channels, as well as novel methods to identify and combat child sexual abuse material.

WEF New Report – rethinking media literacy

In today’s digital age, the integrity of information underpins public trust, democratic resilience, and individual empowerment. However, the scale and speed of misinformation and disinformation demand more than reactive solutions, they call for a systemic, inclusive approach.

Crime Stoppers International supports efforts that build safer, more trustworthy digital environments. This work helps pave the way for better-informed communities and, ultimately, a more resilient society.

We applaud the release of the World Economic Forum’s report, Rethinking Media Literacy: A New Ecosystem Model for Information Integrity, that our Deputy CEO, Hayley van Loon directly contributed to via her role with the WEF Global Coalition for Digital Safety.

The report introduces a holistic model to strengthen media and information literacy — empowering individuals and institutions to better navigate, assess, and engage with information in ways that uphold both truth and free expression. It offers practical frameworks spanning the entire information lifecycle and across multiple levels of society, from individuals to policy.

Stealth Cyber – new cybersecurity partnership

We are proud to announce our new strategic partnership with Stealth Cyber, marking a vital step forward in safeguarding the integrity of Crime Stoppers International’s digital systems and processes.

As digital threats continue to rise in scale and sophistication, the ability to protect sensitive information is more critical than ever. Stealth Cyber is a leader in cybersecurity innovation and will work with us to ensure our cyber strategy, governance and risk management are always robust.

Stealth Cyber will provide advanced threat intelligence, cyber risk management, and digital services to confirm our systems, platforms and operations are equipped with cutting-edge digital defence – allowing us to stay ahead of cyber threats and focus on what matters most: empowering people and communities to speak up safely and anonymously.

Together, Crime Stoppers International and Stealth Cyber are reinforcing the link between cybersecurity and community-led justice.

CSI Joins Global Signal Exchange

Crime Stoppers International is thrilled to have joined forces with the Global Signal Exchange (GSE) in a collaboration that will empower law enforcement agencies and industry partners with more comprehensive and actionable intelligence, enabling a more proactive and effective response to emerging threats.

Co-founded by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), Google and Oxford Information Labs Ltd, the GSE is a revolutionary initiative for the real-time, cross-sector, international sharing of scam and fraud threat signals. The integration of CSI’s invaluable community-sourced intelligence with the GSE's cutting-edge data-sharing and analytical capabilities will create an unparalleled force against transnational scams and fraud.

ACCCE Stakeholder Operational Briefing – Brisbane

Crime Stoppers International was privileged to attend the most recent Stakeholder Briefing conducted by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) in Brisbane, Australia. The day brought together committed professionals all working toward a common goal – to improve response, and to prevent, detect and deter the complex and confronting crime of child exploitation.

While the subject matter was heavy – including sadistic online exploitation and human trafficking – the very evident collaboration, innovation and shared purpose across government and Commonwealth agencies, NGOs, the private sector and academia was uplifting.

Financial Crime Analytics and Intelligence Meet-Up – Melbourne

Hosted by Fivecast at Amazon Web Services in Melbourne, Australia, Crime Stoppers International was proud to participate in this exclusive event along with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in the financial crime and intelligence space – including Deloitte, Up Bank, Revolut and others.

Dylan Martin, APAC Regional Lead, Integrity and Investigations for our global supporter Harod, presented “Exposing Deception: how OSINT empowers global Crime Stoppers” alongside our Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon. The joint presentation highlighted Crime Stoppers International’s Stop the Illegal Empire anti-counterfeiting campaign, and featured a compelling Harod case study revealing how advanced OSINT techniques were used to trace and disrupt a complex counterfeit supply chain.

One-on-one with UnixGuy

Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon recently sat down with sat down with cybersecurity and GRC expert, Abed Hamdan (aka UnixGuy), who boasts more than 250k subscribers on YouTube, to discuss her experience in the fields of counter terrorism, human trafficking, and the counterfeit industry, and how each of these intersect with cyber security.

These are high-risk and often under-explored areas of the cybercrime landscape that warrant greater attention.

Already viewed by 7,500+ followers, you can watch the full interview (approx. 30 mins) here.

Canadian Crime Stoppers 2025 National Conference – Nova Scotia

Vice President, Mick Duthie, recently travelled to Nova Scotia to attend the Canadian Crime Stoppers 2025 Conference, hosted by Crime Stoppers Newfoundland and Labrador. Held in St John’s, North America’s oldest city, the Conference featured powerful sessions delivered by excellent speakers that addressed the world of counterfeit goods – guns, drugs, illicit tobacco – human trafficking, intellectual property, crypto and cybercrime.

Mick formally presented to an enthusiastic and engaging audience on behalf of Crime Stoppers International, providing an update on our impact, priorities, current projects, and sharing access to various resources.

Sincere thanks to everyone for making Mick feel so welcome – in particular, Canadian Crime Stoppers Association President, Dave Forster, and Crime Stoppers Newfound lead, Rod Pike, for their generous hospitality.

Executive Management Team – appointment announcement

We recently welcomed Jarrad Warwick to the Crime Stoppers International team.

Jarrad joins us as Head of Strategic Technology & Capability and, with over 15 years of experience supporting law enforcement and intelligence agencies worldwide, he brings deep expertise in delivering operational capability, specialist training, and strategic advisory services.

Known for his practical approach, global perspective, and ability to align innovative technology with frontline needs, Jarrad will lead Crime Stoppers International’s global technology and capability strategy – working to strengthen international partnerships, drive scalable solutions, and enhance the organization’s mission to disrupt transnational crime and improve community safety across borders.

It’s great to have you onboard, Jarrad!

Justice Denied Conference – Melbourne, Australia

Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) destroys the lives of individuals, families, communities and whole societies. It prolongs conflict (coups, terrorism, protracted civil conflict, sieges, ethnic cleansing, gender apartheid and kinetic warfare) and sets back post-conflict recovery.

Our Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon was proud to attend the recent Justice Denied conference, hosted by the Australian Institute of International Affairs (Victoria) and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, that explored patterns of violence to understand why impunity for CRSV is widely accepted by many with the authority to end it (state, non-state actors, military, security sector etc).

The keynote, delivered by Washington University, Brown School research associate professor and School of Law visiting professor, Kim Thuy Seelinger, an expert on sexual violence in armed conflict and forced displacement, was followed by case studies showcasing cutting edge research as well as policy solutions with a focus on fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration to identify innovative approaches to justice and accountability.

Crime Stoppers International stands with global partners committed to ending impunity for conflict-related sexual violence. Survivors deserve justice, and accountability must be pursued at every level.

This is an urgent, global issue that demands action – not silence.

Google Anti-Scams and Fraud Summit – Dublin, Ireland

We’re extremely grateful to Dr. Ruth McAlister of Harod Associates for attending the invitation-only Google Anti-Scams and Fraud Summit on behalf of our Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon.

Hosted at Google’s Safety Engineering Center in Dublin, the event brought together approx. 200 representatives from industry, consumer groups, policymakers, and law enforcement officials to discuss the challenge of combating sophisticated, cross-border online scam and fraud-identification networks.

Dr McAlister, the former lead on cybercrime at Ulster University, brought her deep expertise to a high-impact day that was both sobering and energizing and involved plenary sessions, roundtables and break-out workshops focused on tackling online fraud, scams, and the evolving threat landscape.

Strong cross-sector collaboration, technology, and user education is key to staying ahead of emerging threats and, via Dr McAlister, Crime Stoppers International is proud to have contributed to this vital conversation.

Specialist Advisory Panel – new members

We’re excited to announce that Michael (Mick) O’Connell and Jorij Abraham have joined our Specialist Advisory Panel.

Mick O’Connell has a long-standing association with Crime Stoppers International that harks back to his time when, as Director of Operational Police Support Services at INTERPOL, he was the designated focal point for us as we went about re-affirming our Cooperation Agreement with the agency. Mick presented on behalf of INTERPOL at our 2013 Conference and attended our 2018 Conference in his capacity as (then) VP for the NEC Corporation having just finished working for the UK’s NCA as its Head of National Intelligence. Since then, he has maintained a keen interest in Crime Stoppers International and has actively supported us by providing critical advice and guidance.

Today, Mick is MD of Critical Insights Consultancy Ltd. and works across the globe to provide world-class independent critical thinking delivering insight, guidance and leadership to his clients to inform their business transformation in the digital age. He is also a Senior Fellow for UNICRI (the United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute) developing global AI ethics and organizational resilience models, and a Faculty Member of NuEnergy.ai working with organizations to implement guardrails on AI to ensure trust and mitigate risks.

Recognized for his work in threat/risk mitigation, big data, business intelligence and analysis, threat identification, crisis response, major events and disaster recovery, Mick has extensive and proven experience in tackling global / national security, organized crime and terror threats, he has also developed and implemented global major event (FIFA/IOC/IIFX) and border security solutions utilising best-in-class biometrics and AI technologies.

Jorij Abraham brings unparalleled expertise in the fight against online fraud, with a mission-driven career dedicated to protecting consumers worldwide. He is currently the Managing Director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, an organization working tirelessly to prevent scams and raise awareness globally, and Scamadvisor.com, the global blacklist for blocking malicious websites, as well as e-commerce professor at the prestigious TIO Business School, Amsterdam.

Jorij has been part of the international eCommerce community since 1997 – as manager of e-commerce at Bijenkorf, TUI (Europe’s largest travel organization), and Sanoma Media (Benelux’s largest media company), and as Director of Consulting at Unic. In parallel to these activities, he co-founded eVentures Europe and vZine. In 2011, he established the Ecommerce Foundation to foster global digital trade, and from 2013–2017 as Director of Research & Advice at Thuiswinkel.org (the Dutch Ecommerce Association) and Ecommerce Europe responsible for its 25,000+ members across 20 countries.

Jorig’s insight and leadership will be invaluable as Crime Stoppers International expands its global impact and develops stronger, more effective responses to the growing threat of scams and online fraud.

Aylo Trust & Safety Audit

Earlier this year, Crime Stoppers International completed a report having audited Aylo’s Trust and Safety policies, procedures, and practices. The report, along with a set of recommendations, was provided to Aylo to inform ongoing efforts to strengthen safety and accountability across its platforms.

We sincerely thank those key stakeholders who directly contributed to our review, as the insights provided were extremely valuable.

Executive Management Team – Appointment Announcement

We’re delighted to welcome Gillian Wilson APM MAIPIO (Life) as our new Head of Sponsorship and Fundraising.

Gill is a highly respected former senior police officer with a long-standing commitment to public safety, leadership, and community engagement. This dedication to service and leadership has been formally recognized on a number of occasions with Gill named ‘Most Outstanding Female Leader’ by the Australasian Council of Women and Policing (2011) and being awarded the prestigious Australian Police Medal (2017), and Life Membership with Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (2018).

Gill brings decades of experience in law enforcement and stakeholder relations to her appointment as Head of Sponsorship and Fundraising at Crime Stoppers International. Throughout her career, she has led operational and strategic initiatives, while also building strong partnerships across multiple sectors. In tandem with her role at Crime Stoppers International, Gill remains an active member of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers, where she serves as a Board Member and Executive Advisor for Engagements overseeing relationships with sponsors, partners, and affiliates.

Tech Coalition Stakeholder Briefing – Singapore

On April 3, our CEO Shane Britten joined key industry leaders – child safety experts, policy makers, law enforcement officials and industry representatives from 16 countries – for the Tech Coalition’s 2025 APAC Briefing, Protecting Children in the Digital World: Industry Strategies and Innovations

The Tech Coalition, an alliance of technology companies of varying sizes and sectors, represents a powerful core of expertise working together to drive critical advances in technology and the adoption of best practices to facilitate the global tech industry’s fight against the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. A core objective is to help all its members better prevent, detect, report, and remove online child sexual abuse content.

Hosted by Amazon at their Singapore office, this APAC Briefing focused on the tools, strategies, and innovations needed to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse and highlighted critical regional trends specific to the region, including cross-border collaboration and risks associated with generative AI.

APAC GCFFC Conference – Hong Kong

Sponsored by the HK Monetary Authority and supported by Crime Stoppers International, the APAC Chapter of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime held its second Asia-Pacific event in Hong Kong on April 1.

This by-invitation Conference had the theme Fighting Financial Crime in a More Complex World and was headlined by FATF President, Claire Lo. Notably, Ms Lo was FATF President in 2001 during 9/11 and the first female FATF President and she spoke of her time as President and where the world is now.

Our CEO Shane Britten sat on the moderated panel session, How to improve effectiveness – A conversation between experts, that sparked discussion on reimagining the approach to enhancing effectiveness.

The discussion emphasized the necessity to transition from reactive strategies, acknowledge the evolving criminal landscape and the increasing intersection of various crime types, and understand the essential need for cooperation. The panel also highlighted that criminals, especially terrorists, continuously adapt, making previous strategies less effective.

Women Changing the World – London

The Women Changing the World Awards recognize, acknowledge and celebrate women who are making a positive contribution to changing the world in big and small ways – to women who are visionaries and leaders inspiring change, taking action and making a lasting impact.

Our Deputy CEO, Hayley van Loon, was a finalist in not one but two categories – the Leadership Award for Global Impact that recognizes exceptional women trailblazers in global initiatives; and the People’s Choice Global Award for Non-Profit & Social Enterprise that identifies the most popular global impact business or organization making a difference.

Hayley’s contribution to Crime Stoppers International and her dedication to helping our organization deliver on its mission is beyond commendable. So, we couldn’t be more delighted that her unwavering commitment to shaping a brighter world was internationally recognized and applauded with her receiving two gongs – Silver for the Leadership Award for Global Impact, and Bronze for the People’s Choice Global Award – at the WCW Awards ceremony in London earlier this month.

Congratulations, Hayley!

Airbnb Trust & Safety Advisory Coalition – San Francisco

As a member of the Airbnb TSAC, CEO Shane Britten is our representative on this group, and he recently traveled to San Francisco to attend its quarterly meeting. As always, it was a terrific opportunity to review and contribute to Airbnb’s strategic planning linked to the organization’s Trust & Safety objectives, policies and practices while drawing on the experience and expertise of many other key stakeholders and subject matter experts in this space.

Europe’s premier Trust & Safety Summit – UK

This annual event for leaders within policy, moderation, engineering, enforcement and legal was held in London on 25 & 26 March and our Deputy CEO, Hayley van Loon, was proud to attend and be part of the conversation, connecting with industry leaders and innovators working to make digital spaces safer for everyone.

An impressive agenda and even more impressive presenter line-up delivered across three broad streams – policy, regulatory compliance and preparedness, and enforcement operations.

Crime Stoppers International looks forward to following up on the many strategic connections made over the course of this 2-day Summit and, anyone who missed the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Hayley, can reach out here.

WEF Global Coalition for Digital Safety – report released

The WEF Coalition for Digital Safety used the UK Trust & Safety Summit to launch its latest report, The Intervention Journey: A Roadmap to Effective Digital Safety Measures, that maps the journey of digital safety interventions, using case studies to illustrate the key stages and provide examples of various intervention types.

Congratulations to our Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon, who was not only a co-author but also the single largest contributor to the report!

With the increasing digitization of society seeing online harms – such as child sexual exploitation, scams, privacy violations and disinformation – growing in both complexity and volume, and with many organizations struggling to implement interventions because of limited resources, regulatory complexity and rapidly evolving threats, which puts them at risk of legal and reputational consequences, the report seeks to address this deficit and proposes a detailed plan for implementing digital safety interventions.

New WEF working group – AI in Content Moderation

Timed to immediately follow the UK Trust & Safety Summit and take advantage of the fact that many of the Coalition’s members were in London to attend the Summit, the WEF Global Coalition for Digital Safety met on March 27.

Attendees, including our Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon, were briefed more fully on Workstream #2’s report, The Intervention Journey: A Roadmap to Effective Digital Safety Measures, and were provided updates on Workstream #4’s report, Media Information Literacy for Tackling Disinformation.

Discussions also took place on new workstream priorities, including the establishment of a new Workstream, Transparent and Accountable AI in Content Moderation, that aims to embed digital safety principles into AI governance by mapping best practices, addressing key challenges and ensuring human rights remain central to AI-driving content moderation.

As a valued member of the Coalition, Hayley has been invited to represent Crime Stoppers International on this new working group.

HAROD and CSI partner

As we continue to grow our strategic network, Crime Stoppers International is thrilled to announce that HAROD Associates is now a key supporter of our organization.

HAROD is a globally trusted provider of bespoke investigative services, specializing in the delivery of cutting-edge solutions tailored to individual clients’ requirements across a range of industries, including critical infrastructure, government, law enforcement, charities and the private sector. HAROD also boasts a range of proprietary technologies that are leading-edge and have been designed by investigators for investigators.

We are incredibly grateful to HAROD for their direct support of Crime Stoppers International and look forward to collaborating to strengthen our efforts to create safer communities worldwide.

WIPO ACE Cinema

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that ensures ideas (intellectual property) belonging to creators, innovators and entrepreneurs are protected and can travel safely across borders to market.

WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE) held its 17th session in Geneva from 4-6 February bringing together representatives from WIPO Member States, observers, academia and the private sector to exchange experiences on IP enforcement and building respect for IP.

The event also saw the fourth edition of the ACE Cinema that showcases short anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy awareness-raising videos including, this year, Crime Stoppers International’s Stop The Illegal Empire.

RMIT Industry Advisory Board

The expertise of Crime Stoppers International’s key personnel continues to be recognized with our Deputy CEO, Hayley van Loon, joining the RMIT University Industry Advisory Board for Cyber (IABC).

The IABC is RMIT Australia’s leading body of industry experts in the cyber sector, and its members are dynamic business and technology executives/cyber professionals at the cutting edge of their profession. It provides objective ‘outside-in’ thinking and contributes first-hand knowledge and diverse perspectives on key industry priorities and challenges specific to Cyber Innovation and Cyber Security Research (CICSR).

Tackling the Rising Threat of Sextortion

Hayley has already contributed to an important forum hosted by RMIT University’s Social Equity Research Centre within the CCSRI that brought experts, researchers, and stakeholders together to discuss the growing threat of sextortion.

One of the most heartbreaking moments during the Detecting, Preventing and Responding to Extortion workshop was hearing from a father whose son had tragically taken his own life after falling victim to sextortion. Wayne Holdsworth’s powerful words about his son, Mac, served as a devastating reminder of the real-world impact of this crime.

While the forum was attended by a diverse group of individuals and organizations, each bringing unique insights and expertise, everyone was united about the urgent need to do more to combat this horrific crime and especially the need to do more to protect children and young people.

Collaboration between law enforcement, cyber experts, policymakers, and civil society is crucial to detecting, preventing, and responding effectively to sextortion. CSI remains committed to working with partners to raise awareness, strengthen protections, and support those affected by these crimes.

To play an active role in protecting communities from this devastating form of exploitation, contact us.

Q1 2025 Newsletter

Our first edition of our quarterly newsletter for 2025 provides an overview of our activities, achievements and milestones for the last 12 months, and is available to download.

Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January marks Human Trafficking Prevention Month – a time to raise awareness about human trafficking and modern slavery. A time to learn how to identify the signs of trafficking and to support victims. A time to encourage everyone – individuals, organizations, and governments – to take action to prevent and combat human trafficking.

This year's theme, Connecting the Dots. Strengthening Communities. Preventing Trafficking, recognizes the connections that exist between human trafficking and other forms of violence and abuse. This is something Crime Stoppers International has long highlighted along with the fact that human trafficking/modern-day slavery is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world and almost always linked to organized crime.

With more than 50 million persons enslaved worldwide, 1 in 4 of whom is a child, a much greater sense of urgency is needed to bring a stop to this exploitation.

What can you do?  Educate yourself about human trafficking here and share what you learn with others.

What can your organization do? Connect with us and support our efforts to tackle this heinous crime.

And if you’ve heard something and seen something that indicates human trafficking is taking place, Report Now.

Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate Recognized

On 17 January, Crime Stoppers International Specialist Advisor, Timea Nagy-Payne, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her outstanding contribution to addressing human trafficking and associated trauma.

This distinction is awarded to Canadians who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to making a significant impact on the wellbeing of Canadian communities and, in Timea’s case, also internationally.

“ .. a dedicated Canadian activist and abolitionist, Mrs Timea Nagy founded Walk With Me Canada Victim Services in 2009 to support human trafficking survivors. Her tireless advocacy, collaborations with law enforcement, and public awareness campaigns have earned her numerous accolades. As a global advocate, author, and survivor, she has raised awareness for human trafficking and trauma for 15 years and is now focused on sharing science-based healing methods worldwide.”

Congratulations, Timea. This prestigious accolade is well-deserved and Crime Stoppers International is incredibly privileged to have you as a member of our Specialist Advisory Panel.