Six Toronto residents are among the 60 people charged by the OPP as part of an ongoing child exploitation probe.
OPP Chief Supt. Don Bell announced Thursday in a press conference the details of an investigation by the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet.
The Provincial Strategy, a province-wide coordinated effort between the OPP and various Ontario police forces to prevent child sex crimes on the Internet, includes Toronto Police.
The six Toronto residents charged in connection with the probe are all men ranging from 21 to 60 years of age. Altogether, they face 17 charges.
Four of the six men had court appearances scheduled for Sept. 24 according to an Addendum of Charged Persons released by the OPP on their website.
Members of the Provincial Strategy executed 99 search warrants across Ontario. This resulted in 249 charges laid against 60 people, including three youths who cannot be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The investigation also identified 14 child victims. Bell said child sex crimes remain a major concern to police and praised the efforts of the Provincial Strategy that led to the arrests.
“The Provincial Strategy demonstrates the success that police services can achieve when working together and sharing our best practices and information,” Bell said.
During the press conference, police displayed an animated map depicting over 7,000 individual IP addresses they identified as suspected child pornography download candidates in Ontario.
OPP Insp. Scott Naylor, manager of the OPP’s child exploitation unit said the investigation “highlighted the pervasiveness of child luring, sexual exploitation and abuse.” He also called on parents, teens and children to educate themselves about staying safe while online.