(...) police announced that the largest co-ordinated child pornography investigation of its kind in Ontario had led to a total of 93 charges laid against 31 people. Three of the accused are youths, while the oldest is a 60-year-old man.
The arrests are a direct result of, among other things, improved tools to track down alleged child pornographers on the Internet, said provincial police Commissioner Julian Fantino.
"The Internet continues to pose a threat to children, parents, and certainly we feel challenged in our ability to keep up, to keep pace, with the pervasive use being made of it by those who seek to victimize children," Fantino said.
"The arrests ... are directly attributed to the acquisition of better equipment, consistent training, centralized co-ordination and a determined effort to do all we can to protect our children."
The charges include sexual assault, sexual interference, making child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
More charges are pending, police said.
Fantino said the reality for police is that they are in "catch-up mode" when it comes to arresting perpetrators. He said while he and his colleagues must follow the parameters of the law, those making and distributing child pornography are constantly trying to stay a step ahead of police. He said one solution would be for the federal government to act to improve the national sex offender registry. (...)"
I imagine that some will wring their hands about that prospect, of course.
