A 20-year-old Dubbo man has been arrested for alleged child grooming offences by police from the State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad.
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Earlier this year, detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) were contacted by officers from the Western Australia Police Online Child Exploitation Squad.
Western Australian officers, assuming the online identity of a 13-year-old girl, had engaged a NSW man in conversation, and during the conversation the man allegedly made a number of indecent remarks.
Detectives from the CEIU took on the case and, assuming the online identity of a 13-year-old girl, approached the man via a social networking site, engaging him in numerous conversations over an 11 week period.
During the conversations, the man allegedly made a number of sexually explicit and inappropriate comments, as well as sending through a number of indecent photographs.
Shortly after 9am on Monday detectives arrested a 20-year-old man at his home in Dubbo.
A search warrant was subsequently executed at the property, where investigators seized computers and electronic storage devices before taking the man to Dubbo Police Station.
The man was charged with using a carriage service to procure person under 16 years of age for sexual activity, and two counts of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to person under 16 years.
He has been granted strict conditional bail to appear at Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday 1 October 2014.
Regular covert online investigations are conducted by the Child Exploitation Internet Unit and police in NSW work closely with their law enforcement colleagues interstate and overseas.
Anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/.
Meanwhile, police are again urging parents and children to be mindful of the dangers associated with the internet.
Safe internet use – tips for parents:
- Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
- Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations.
- Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites.
- Keep the computer in a room the whole family can access; not in your child's bedroom.
- Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your internet service provider. The Netalert web page provides information on a number of commercially-available products at www.netalert.net.au.
- Ensure you are able to access your child's email and randomly check the contents.
- Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls, or consider using a 'caller ID' device to identify incoming calls.
- Consult your telephone company for options designed to ensure privacy and security.
- Enquire with your child's school, public library, and places they frequent, to find out what internet safety measures they have in place.
- Information on internet safety is available on the NSW Police website at: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/children/child_exploitation
Tips for children:
- Do not send a picture of yourself to anyone you don't know and never place a full profile and picture anywhere on the internet.
- Never give out your personal information, including name, home address, phone number or school, over the internet.
- Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you have chatted with on the internet.
- Tell your parents or another adult you know of any contact that makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Remember that pressing ‘send’ is definite and final – you can’t get it back or take it down.
