Hundreds of charges have been laid as part of a province-wide crackdown on the abuse and exploitation of children on the internet.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service is among 27 agencies involved in the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet (the Provincial ICE Strategy.)
Police say between February 19th and the 29th, 64 people were arrested as part of Project Aquatic and are facing a total of 348 charges, and 607 electronic devices were seized. A 33-year-old Chatham man is among the accused, charged with possession of child pornography, making child pornography available, and accessing child pornography. He has since been released from custody and will be back in court at the end of the month.
In one instance, authorities say an individual set up a meeting with undercover investigators intending to meet with a child in real life for a sexual purpose. Another individual was in possession of approximately 21 terabytes of data containing child sexual abuse material.
As a result of the investigation, 34 victims were identified and provided with support and another 30 children safeguarded.
During a media event in Scarborough on Wednesday, authorities showed a human-sized graphic displaying an iceberg, representing the 129 investigations completed during Project Aquatic and the 8,638 investigations completed in 2023 above the surface.
Authorities say 82,082 investigations were completed between 2006 and 2023 by the Provincial ICE Strategy’s 27 police services, representing the bottom of the iceberg beneath the water. Within that period, 29,025 charges were laid against 7,493 people.