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International 'Virtual Global Taskforce' set to make the Internet a hostile place for online child sex abusers
13 December 2003
UK law enforcement announced in December the launch of a Virtual Global Task Force aimed at targeting those who search for images of child abuse on the Internet.
Viewers of images of child abuse on the Internet are being warned by the National Crime Squad that the Internet is just another public place and will policed as such.
Working with other UK and International law enforcement the National Crime Squad has developed Operation Pin, a new and dynamic crime reduction initiative to combat child abuse online. It was originally developed by a team at West Midlands Police and has now been expanded and adopted as a key International weapon in the fight against online paedophile activity.
Operation Pin will see the creation of a carefully researched website which will purport to contain images of child abuse. Anyone choosing to use this site will be led through a serious of pages, whilst being prompted the whole time to withdraw from the process. If they chose to continue they will ultimately be taken to a page which will tell them they have entered a law enforcement website, that their actions constitute an offence and that their details have been captured.
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Gamble from the National Crime Squad said at the launch: "We hope this initiative will disrupt the activity of paedophiles operating on the Internet, discourage those who facilitate the supply of images of child abuse online and undermine the confidence of those who hope to use the Internet anonymously when searching for sexual gratification by viewing images of child sexual abuse.
He added: "It is vital to remember that those viewing or attempting to view this material are committing an offence in the UK and if they are abroad they may well also be committing an offence in their own country. It is crucial that the public understand that those who search and view online images of child sexual abuse fuel the demand for new pictures and films, contributing to the real-time abuse of many new victims every day."
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hyde who is the strategic lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on Combating Child abuse on the Internet added: "This is a major contribution to our national strategy that makes it more difficult for would be paedophiles to post or download abusive images. We hope this sends out a message to Internet users that the police service takes their safety seriously and will make life difficult for criminals who wish to promote images of children being abused.
"The International Virtual Global Task Force is further evidence of our willingness to build links with our partners and create the most effective technical solutions to be enhance Internet safety."
Edward W. Logan from the US Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement and Investigative Bureau, ICE, added: "The United States has and will remain committed to the protection of children everywhere. We are excited to be a part of this effort to police cyber space and applaud the innovative leadership of the National Crime Squad. We stand ready to exchange leads, intelligence and evidence with our international law enforcement allies in our collective efforts to make the Internet safer."
Edward P. Gibson from the FBI said "We are pleased to partner with the National Crime Squad, and law enforcement around the world, to help create a Virtual Global Task Force to focus on the identification of child predators and their victims. Operation Pin is just the beginning.
Jennifer Strachan of the The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre said: "The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fully supports and endorses this initiative. Youth is one of five strategic priorities of the RCMP, Canada's national police force. Putting an end to the predation of children by online pedophiles presents unprecedented challenges to the international policing community. We welcome this unique initiative as another tool to help police in Canada and other countries join forces against this terrible crime. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is presently considering how the existing legislation in Canada would apply to our participation in the active portions of this project."
Director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre (AHTCC), Federal Agent Alastair MacGibbon said: "We are committed to working with international partners to combat online child exploitation and is pleased to be part of the Virtual Global Task Force."
Hamish McCulloch, from Interpol, commented: "We are supporting Operation Pin to ensure that the intelligence obtained, which will lead to the identification of persons using the Internet to access images of children being sexually abused, is quickly disseminated through the Organisation's network of 181 countries, to law enforcement in the country where that person resides, whether or not they have committed a criminal offence in that country, as those persons who have a sexual interest in children need to be identified, wherever they are, to protect children from abuse."