Police Initiative Looks To Log In Sexual Offenders To Support Program And Protect Community

By: Nick Liard

The Greater Sudbury Police are leading the way in preventing sexual abuse and exploitation on the Internet.

In 2014 the Community Intervention for Children’s Safety(CICS) was launched by the Cyber Crime Unit, in partnership with community members in an attempt to identify those in the community downloading child pornography.

The program has led to 67 charges from March to June this year and Inspector Dan Despatie says that shows this problem is very real.

Detective Staff Sgt. with the OPP Frank Goldschmidt says this is an initiative all agencies in North America can get on board with.

Sgt. Blair Ramsay with the Cyber Crime Unite says prevention starts with providing help.

Sudbury Police have also partnered with the John Howard Society for the Sexual Offender Management Program, a first of its kind in Ontario for prevention strategies.

In Sudbury alone the C-I-C-S program has led to 14 arrests and 26 referrals to the Sexual Offender Management program through the John Howard Society.

Since 2006, the Cyber Crime Unit in Sudbury has laid 233 charges against 63 people in child pornography investigations.