Law enforcement agencies from around the world gathered in Wellington this week to share tactics and intelligence in their on-going fight against on-line child exploitation.
Detective Superintendent Rod Drew said the Virtual Global Taskforce is dedicated to protecting children from internet predators.
"NZ Police and our partner agencies in the Virtual Global Taskforce proactively investigate sex offenders who seek to use the Internet as a means of targeting children,” Mr Drew said. “
“Our OCEANZ unit has been very successful in holding such offenders to account regardless of where in the world they are operating.”
In October 38 year-old Matthew David Cornish appeared in a New South Court charged with two counts of producing, disseminating or possessing child abuse material following a trans-Tasman Police operation.
The Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand (OCEANZ) Unit identified that Cornish posed a potential risk to children and passed their intelligence onto the New South Wales Police.
Mr Drew said the case is a great example of the close working relationship Police have with their counterparts in Australia.
“It doesn't matter what country a child or offender in. It is a global effort to stamp out this terrible crime." Mr Drew said.
The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) seeks to build an effective, international partnership of law enforcement agencies, non government organisations and industry to help protect children from online child abuse.
Since it’s formation in 2003 the VGT has rescued hundreds of children around the world from sexual abuse, conducted numerous targeted law enforcement operations into online and offline offending and held to account hundreds of child sex offenders worldwide.
Mr Drew said as well as utilising the resources of the Virtual Global Taskforce
Police work closely with other New Zealand government agencies.
“Individuals who use the internet to exploit children need to realise that police and our colleagues in the NZ Customs Service and Department of Internal Affairs are always seeking to identify and prosecute these individuals and identify the children that are victimised by them,” Mr Drew said.
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For more information contact Kevin Sinnott on (027) 705 0341