A Corporal with the RCMP'S Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit hopes parents will help combat the crime. 
    
Gord Olson says the arrest of four men in a southern Manitoba child pornography case emphasizes the need for parents to monitor who their kids are communicating with online.

"If parents are allowing their children to have social media platforms, that they are also monitoring what is happening on those platforms. They're checking devices, seeing who their children are talking to, asking the questions and communicating with them and starting that process and not just leaving them alone with their devices."

Olson noted this kind of activity is very prolific in our province.
    
During an 8-day bust in three communities at the end of March, the ICE unit arrested four men between the ages of 37 and 56 and discovered tens of thousands of child porn images. 

Authorities also removed three children under the age of six from situations where police say they were being sexually abused and exploited. 

The RCMP will not be identifying any individuals or communities that were part of the investigation to protect the identity of the victims.

"Obviously, there's families that are connected to these people that have been arrested and we don't want to cause any kind of grief for them as well," added Olson.

The four men were all charged with Distributing/Uploading/Possessing Child Pornography. Additionally, one of the suspects was also charged with Making Child Pornography.
    
Investigations are ongoing. 

 

With files from Jared Thiessen

Related Stories