New funding strengthens police work in the fight against online child exploitation

CANADA, August 24 – Police in British Columbia will soon have more tools to improve child protection online and better detect, address and prosecute offenders.

“Children and young people are spending more time online than ever before. Unfortunately, this makes them more vulnerable to predators who seek to take advantage of them,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Attorney General. “Child exploitation online happens every day and as social media platforms continue to grow, we must ensure our children are protected from those who seek to harm them. That’s why we continue to work with the federal government to provide law enforcement with the necessary resources to support units tasked with the very difficult task of investigating these horrific crimes.”

Through the Federal Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime, Public Safety Canada has allocated $3.5 million over three years to BC to strengthen the efforts of municipal police departments in the fight against online child sexual exploitation. The funds will be used for staffing, equipment and training, to strengthen investigative capabilities in partnership with the BC RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.

Many police departments across the province complete ICE investigations, but they do not have resources dedicated solely to child online exploitation caseloads. Until recently, the Vancouver Police Department was the only independent municipal police department in BC with a dedicated ICE unit. In 2021, the Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Central Saanich, and Oak Bay police departments developed an integrated Capital Regional District (CRD) ICE team as part of a pilot project. This funding will increase the capacity of both ICE teams and enable all municipal police departments to increase the training and capacity of officers conducting ICE investigations. This will enable more ICE investigations and will help support efforts to increase awareness, reduce the stigma around reporting, and increase BC’s and Canada’s ability to prosecute and prosecute offenders.

Reported incidents of online exploitation rose significantly during the COVID-19 public health emergency and have continued post-pandemic. BC ICE has noted a significant increase in reports of incidents of exploitation, such as child luring, grooming, and child sexual exploitation material, with more than 28,000 investigations opened between 2020 and 2023.

In September 2024, the Province will host a one-day forum with experts from the BC ICE Unit and other relevant law enforcement investigators, BC Prosecution Service, and Community Safety and Victim Services participating in roundtable discussions on finding solutions to keep children safe online. Discussions will focus on sextortion in BC, family perspectives of those affected by this violence, a national perspective, prevention, education and training resources, and support for victims affected by exploitation.

Quotes:

Niki Sharma, Minister of the Attorney General –

“Crimes such as online sexual exploitation can have a devastating impact on young people’s lives. We will continue to take action to keep our young people safe and protected from these vile predators.”

Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development –

“Every child and young person deserves to be safe, both online and in the community, and the victimization or exploitation of one young person is one too many. Predators who spread sexualized, nude or harmful images cause trauma and pain to young people and their families, and our government is doing everything we can to stop them and fight back.”

Deputy Chief Kevin Hackett, Central Saanich Police Service, on behalf of the City’s police chiefs –

“On behalf of the City’s police chiefs, we recognize that this funding will enable our regional ICE team to continue their efforts to protect children from predators who exploit and harm them. Our collaborative, coordinated, and integrated approach proved successful in our previous pilot project, and we are confident that this new funding will help us build on those successes. We are encouraged by this opportunity and look forward to improving the safety and protection of our most vulnerable.”

Inspector Sally Davies, Vancouver Police Department –

“Online child sexual exploitation is a crime that has devastating and long-lasting consequences for young victims and their families. The prevalence of these types of crimes continues to increase every day, as technology makes it both easier to reach victims and easier for perpetrators to hide their activities. The Vancouver Police Department is grateful for the provincial government’s financial support, which will provide increased staffing, advanced software and hardware, and training to advance these investigations.”

Quick Facts:

• The British Columbia government supports a wide range of programs and services focused on prevention, response and victim support. These include specialized police units and the many community organizations that help children and youth affected by this disease on their path to recovery.
• The government provides more than $40 million annually to support more than 400 victim support and violence against women programs in the province. These programs focus on victims, including victims of child and youth sexual exploitation.
• The county also supports school districts through the Expect Respect and a Safe Education (erase) website, which covers online safety, technology, addiction, and supporting healthy habits, among other important tools and resources aimed at creating safe and caring school communities.

More information:

Funding is made available through the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet and through the Serious and Organized Crime Contribution Program: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cntrng-crm/hmn-trffckng/cntrbtn-prgrm-cmbt-trms-en.aspx

For more information about support for school districts promoting children’s online safety, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase

If you or someone you know is a victim of online sexual exploitation, there are services and programs available here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/bcs-criminal-justice-system/understanding-criminal-justice/key-parts/victim-services

Below is some background story.