On March 16, criminal investigators from the United Kingdom’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre cracked what is being
described as the World’s largest paedophile ring ever.
Detectives have arrested 184 people from the Netherlands, UK, Australia, Italy, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand during the three-year investigation. According to the report by the BBC, members of the network used private channels and secret systems to share pornographic films and images. The operation chief, Peter Davies, said “Not only is it one of the largest operations of its kind to date – and the biggest operation we have led – it also demonstrates the impact of international law enforcement agencies working together with one single objective, to safeguard children and bring offenders to justice.”
This is spectacular. This is one in a series of significant international victories by law enforcement in many countries. (See FBI Reveals Increasing Technological Sophistication in International Arrests) This international approach combined with tenacious local law enforcement and an active public is the way to ultimately combat child pornography, which is arguably our most damaging social ill today.