Tasmania Police High-Risk Child Exploitation Unit tasked with catching groomer
Details of how a specialist unit within Tasmania Police catch and sting potential child groomers and sexual predators have been revealed.
Tasmania
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For more than a year now, a specialist team within Tasmania Police has been tasked with catching child groomers and sexual predators.
While the state’s police force had been active in cyber crime for around 13 years, in 2023, the High-Risk Child Exploitation Unit formed part of the newly established Family and Sexual Violence Command.
A Tasmania police spokesperson said that the unit “provides a specialist capability to detect and disrupt high-risk child exploitation perpetrators”.
“Crimes relating to Child Exploitation and Online Grooming fall within the remit of specialist investigators within the state-wide Family & Sexual Violence Command,” they said.
“This capability is further enhanced by the High-Risk Child Exploitation Crime Unit, which specialises in high-risk offenders who commit online child abuse offences.”
Tasmania Police have been working closely with the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) since 2019 and use a range of covert and overt tactics to detect and disrupt online child abuse offenders.”
Stewart, who had already served time in prison for previous child sexual crimes in 2008 and 2010, was sentenced to seven years in jail for his latest offending.
When trying to sting suspected child groomers, Tasmania Police said it did not resort to “coercive tactics”.
“Police use a comprehensive range of tactics to safeguard children from online child exploitation,” the spokesperson said.
“Offenders often employ covert and manipulative methods that can be hidden in plain sight, necessitating a specialised approach to effectively disrupt and counteract these criminal activities.”
With young people increasingly spending time online through social media and gaming platforms, Tasmania Police said “they are more exposed to potential grooming activities”.
“Advances in technology and communication tools provide predators with more sophisticated methods to approach and manipulate children and young people.
“However, technological advances in crime prevention activities have also bolstered police capability to detect and disrupt predators who choose to take advantage of vulnerable children online.”
Police said the safety and wellbeing of children was paramount.
“Tasmania Police is dedicated to detecting, disrupting and prosecuting individuals who exploit and harm young people.
“Our technological tools, investigative methods, and collaboration with national and international partners are designed to apprehend perpetrators and hold them to account.
“We urge the community to prioritise online safety by educating themselves about digital risks.
“Parents should stay vigilant and monitor their children’s online activities, remaining alert to potential online predators.”
Resources and reporting mechanisms are available via the Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation website and the eSafety Commission.
People can also report activity to Tasmanian Police on 131 444 or through Crime Stoppers.
Originally published as Tasmania Police High-Risk Child Exploitation Unit tasked with catching groomer
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