❓ WA Police are actively combating online child exploitation through Operation Karup, a joint effort with the AFP and Department for Child Protection, resulting in arrests and seizures. They are using advanced technology to identify and apprehend offenders.
AnsweredQoN 241Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CYBER-PREDATORS — POLICE RESPONSE
Given the significant growth of the internet as a means for cyber-predators to seek to exploit children, what steps are being taken by WA Police to stamp out the distribution of child pornography and apprehend those responsible? Mr R.F. JOHNSON
Given the significant growth of the internet as a means for cyber-predators to seek to exploit children, what steps are being taken by WA Police to stamp out the distribution of child pornography and apprehend those responsible? Mr R.F. JOHNSON
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. The peddling of child pornography is a heinous and abhorrent crime. The government is taking all necessary action to support the police in tracking down the sick and twisted individuals who prey on and exploit vulnerable young children. The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I thank the member for the question. The peddling of child pornography is a heinous and abhorrent crime. The government is taking all necessary action to support the police in tracking down the sick and twisted individuals who prey on and exploit vulnerable young children. The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
I thank the member for the question. The peddling of child pornography is a heinous and abhorrent crime. The government is taking all necessary action to support the police in tracking down the sick and twisted individuals who prey on and exploit vulnerable young children. The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I thank the member for the question. The peddling of child pornography is a heinous and abhorrent crime. The government is taking all necessary action to support the police in tracking down the sick and twisted individuals who prey on and exploit vulnerable young children. The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
I thank the member for the question. The peddling of child pornography is a heinous and abhorrent crime. The government is taking all necessary action to support the police in tracking down the sick and twisted individuals who prey on and exploit vulnerable young children. The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
The rapid growth of the internet has had an unintended consequence in that it has effectively removed national and international boundaries in the distribution of pornographic material. It is a situation that we are addressing in Western Australia. I am pleased to inform members that the Western Australia Police recently teamed up with the Australian Federal Police and the Department for Child Protection to form a special task force to target child pornography. Under Operation Karup — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : We on this side of the house take this issue very seriously. Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
Under Operation Karup the strike force conducted 47 raids throughout the metropolitan area and in suburbs and towns such as Clarkson, Mandurah, Bunbury and Northam. In total 35 people were charged with 98 offences and a further six persons are to be interviewed and possibly charged. During the raids police seized more than 1 000 DVDs and computer equipment containing nearly 23 000 files of child pornography. In a first for Western Australia Police, a strike-force team used special software developed in the United States that traces and identifies people who distribute child pornography through internet networks. This new tool will provide police with the ongoing capability to monitor and target those who exploit young children in this dreadful manner. Further operations are already being planned. Through the actions of this very successful strike-force team, the Western Australia Police have sent a clear message to people that if they access or download child exploitation material over the internet they will be caught and brought to justice. On behalf of all members of the house, I congratulate the Western Australia Police, the Department for Child Protection and the federal officers for this very successful operation.
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