MOOSE JAW — A Moose Jaw man is one of five people accused of child pornography-related offences following a nationwide investigation that included efforts by the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit.
Between Feb. 17 and 28, Sask. ICE participated in “Project Steel,” a co-ordinated, Canada-wide initiative that targeted child sexual abuse and exploitation offenders, a news release said. The project brought together 63 law enforcement partners and led to 106 arrests nationwide.
Furthermore, police safeguarded 37 children and seized 1,132 electronic devices.
During the two-week investigation, Sask. ICE executed six search warrants across the province, and as a result, it arrested and charged five people with child exploitation offences.
Moose Jaw
A 36-year-old man from Moose Jaw is charged with possession of child pornography, making available child pornography and accessing child pornography.
He will appear on these charges in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Monday, April 28 at 9:30 a.m.
Regina
A 38-year-old from Regina is charged with:
- Possession of child pornography
- Make available child pornography
- Accessing child pornography
- Unsafe storage of firearms
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm (x2)
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition
His next court date is March 20 in Regina.
Also, a 36-year-old man from Regina is charged with:
- Possession of child pornography
- Make available child pornography
- Accessing child pornography
His next court date is April 9 in Regina.
Cando
A 25 year old man from Cando, Sask., is charged with:
- Make child pornography
- Possession of child pornography
- Distribution of child pornography
- Sexual assault
- Sexual interference
- Invitation to sexual touching
- Indecent act
His next court date is March 7 in North Battleford.
Lloydminster
A, 66-year-old man from Lloydminster, is charged with:
- Possession of child pornography (x2)
- Accessing child pornography
His next court date is March 12 in Lloydminster.
Investigations into child sexual abuse and exploitation are continuing across the country.
“Online child sexual exploitation is a priority for Canadian law enforcement. Project STEEL demonstrates the strength of working together to successfully safeguard children and identify offenders,” Matthieu Girard, an inspector with the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre, said in a news release.
“The results of this operation remind us that we all need to be aware and work together to keep children safer online,” he added. “All of us have a role to play in protecting children against offenders.”
Said Mike Duheme, RCMP national commissioner, “Our most effective strategy against online child sexual exploitation is collaboration. Individual police agencies cannot deal with these types of crimes on their own. That’s why we work together on operations like Project STEEL to protect children across Canada from these horrific crimes.”
Continuing, he said, “These investigations are particularly demanding for all of our police personnel as they must view materials that are sensitive and graphic in nature. I want to thank them for their resilience and unwavering dedication.
“Their priority is to safeguard children and apprehend the people who commit these heinous crimes.”
The Saskatchewan ICE Unit is comprised of investigators from the Saskatchewan RCMP, Regina Police Service, Saskatoon Police Service, and Prince Albert Police Service. Their mandate is to investigate crimes involving the abuse and/or exploitation of children on the internet.
