COCHRANE— A Cochrane man is one of 24 suspects arrested by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
An ALERT press release dated April 10 said Ivan Scott, 47, of Cochrane has been charged with at least one child pornography offence.
He is one of 24 suspects with 60 offences total related to the online sexual exploitation of children. There is no definitive link between suspects other than the nature of the offences allegedly committed.
“The sexual exploitation of children is a crime that tears at the fabric of society and preys on our most vulnerable. Increased provincial funding is enabling ALERT to double the size of its ICE [Internet Child Exploitation Unit] unit, ensuring it has the tools and resources to track down predators who commit these heinous acts and bring them to justice,” said Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu.
The arrests were the result of investigative referrals from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre. The centre works with Internet and social media providers to track and investigate online instances of child sexual exploitation.
During the investigations, the Internet Child Exploitation Unit relied upon the assistance of several partner agencies, including— The Calgary Police, Edmonton Police, Lethbridge Police, Medicine Hat Police, and RCMP detachments in Barrhead, Beaverlodge, Blackfalds, Cochrane, Edson, Fort MacLeod, Grande Prairie, Onoway, Okotoks, Slave Lake, Stettler and Wood Buffalo.
The Internet Child Exploitation Unit saw a record number of case referrals in 2020 and has been collaborating with its policing partners across Alberta to make arrests.
In 2020 the unit saw a nearly 40 per cent increase in its number of cases with referrals with over 2,100 intakes.
“This is a concerning consequence of our digital dependency during the pandemic. ALERT has responded by directing more tools and resources to our ICE units and we are prepared to travel to every corner of the province in order to stop child sex predators,” said ALERT CEO Supt. Dwayne Lakusta.
ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government. It is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.
Anyone with information about these investigations, or any child exploitation offence is encouraged to contact local police or cybertip.ca/.
