Share
6th February 2018
08:01am GMT
Gardai have carried out raids in 31 homes across Ireland as part of an investigation into the possession and distribution of child porn.
The raids, which were spread across 12 counties, started on Friday and went on until yesterday.
The aim of 'Operation Ketch' was to identify, target and search people suspected of spreading child porn and deal with child protection issues at the addresses searched.
Gardai say they also wanted to "send out a message to other persons who are distributing this material that An Garda Síochána will actively identify and pursue them".
Operation Ketch has resulted in the seizure of thousands of images for forensic examination.
The operation was led by the Online Child Exploitation Unit (ONCE) and the Garda National Protection Services Bureau, with help from the FBI and child exploitation centres in the US and Canada.
Detective Superintendent Declan Daly said parents should talk to their children about safe internet usage.
"Children should be warned to immediately inform parents or guardians of any suspicious online approaches," he said.
"If images have been sent or a request for images has been received; don’t send (further) images, don’t delete anything, preserve the communication and call the Gardaí."
