Case Studies
SurfControl plays key role in national Police ‘Operation Magenta ’ raids on Internet
pedophiles
Background
The rapid growth of Internet activity
by pedophiles is evident from the work of Greater Manchester
Police’s (GMP) Obscene Publication Unit. Set up to investigate
possession and distribution of indecent images of children,
seizures by the Unit have increased rapidly in recent years.
The figure rose from just 12 in 1995, notably all in
photographic or video format, to over 41,000 by 1999. They now
seize tens of thousands each year, and virtually all these
seizures are in computer format downloaded from the
Internet.
SurfControl first teamed up with GMP’s Obscene Publications
Unit in 2000 to provide Internet filtering expertise and
software, and in 2001 the company’s technology assisted the
successful anti-pedophile operation, Operation Appal in which
40 suspects were arrested.
The success of Operation Appal and SurfControl’s reputation
as the world’s foremost vendor of filtering software, resulted
in an ongoing partnership between the GMP and SurfControl. In
April 2002 the investigations led to a series of national
raids on suspected Internet pedophiles who use chat rooms to
advertise and exchange images of children being abused. Known
as Operation Magenta, the project was conducted in conjunction
with the Child Protection and Investigation Unit of the
Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The Challenge
The authorities had an enormous
workload simply trying to locate Internet child porn suspects,
with many man hours invested. Police resources were limited,
with not enough manpower or time for the enormity of the
targeting and tracking required. The automation of the tracing
with SurfControl’s software speeded up the entire process,
allowing the police to focus their resources more effectively
on investigation and prosecution.
The Solution
SurfControl specially developed
software that gave police the ability to accurately trace and
target people across the UK who seek, possess or distribute
indecent images of children via the Internet. By effectively
filtering the mass of information, police were able to track
potential suspects wherever they may have been, such as in
their homes and offices, in a far shorter time span.
SurfControl’s software facilitated the tracing process, which
then allowed officers to direct resources more effectively and
paved the way for traditional police techniques to collect the
hard evidence required for prosecution.
The Abusive Images Unit of GMP and the Child Protection and
Investigation Unit of Hertfordshire Constabulary led the
crackdown on Internet pedophiles with the co-ordination of
early morning raids at more than 70 locations across the UK on
24 April 2002. This was the culmination of Operation Magenta,
a six-month investigation that involved 34 forces in England,
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The Results
The investigation has culminated in
the arrest of 43 people to date.
Following the raids the police reported that many of the
people arrested were not stereotypical of child porn users,
highlighting the importance of the exact targeting provided.
The operation revealed the youngest person to be 15 and the
oldest 59 years old. Those arrested included a retired
teacher, students, IT consultants and a civil servant.
Steve Purdham, Chief Executive of SurfControl, said:
“SurfControl is committed to enabling responsible Internet use
and a key part of this is helping to ensure children are
protected from Internet-related risks. We were very pleased to
be able to assist the police again in an investigation of such
importance for communities across the country.
“This joint project shows that the tools are available to
help safeguard the Internet. Whether people are online at home
or in the workplace, they can be effectively protected against
inappropriate or illegal materials.”
Detective Inspector Terry Jones of Greater Manchester
Police said: “This is an opportunity to look at what
pedophiles are up to because instead of being locked away in
the privacy of their own homes or wherever, they are
effectively coming out to use the Internet – and that’s when
we get them.”
Following the success of Operation Magenta, SurfControl
announced that their software solution would be made available
to law enforcement around the world.
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