Child sexual offenders uncovered!
Pierre*, 29 years old, was living in Switzerland. He was using social media like everyone else, right? No! He was sharing child pornography content that he was creating himself. International cooperation led to Pierre’s identification and arrest. International cooperation plays a key role in solving investigations like this one, with fedpol as a central component of these efforts.
In March 2021, Pierre* shared a pornographic image of a 13-year-old girl with his contacts on social networks and message boards. Collaboration with private individuals and electronic service providers led to an alert issued to the NCMEC, (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) a private organisation in the United States, that the content shared by Pierre was illegal according to American law. Since Pierre was living in Switzerland, it was the jurisdiction of fedpol to evaluate the situation according to Swiss law. The NCMEC sent fedpol a case file to evaluate and determine whether the shared content was also illegal in Switzerland. fedpol examined the file and determined that content was indeed child pornography. After further clarification, fedpol established a crime report. fedpol sent Pierre’s file to the canton where he was living. At that point, the cantonal police were in charge of the file. They conducted an investigation and obtained a warrant to search his apartment. The police found clear evidence of the crime in the suspected offender’s personal belongings, including several images and videos of him abusing young girls. Pierre’s modus operandi was to impersonate a young boy on social network boards to meet young girls. He would then ask them for intimate photos or videos, and sometimes even suggested meeting them to then persuade them to engage in sexual acts for a fee. The evidence was compelling. Thanks to (inter-)national collaboration, Pierre is now behind bars.
fedpol and the NEDIK are key players in the fight against child pornography
fedpol acts as a central judicial office for combatting cybercrime. The federal police also act as a contact point between foreign and cantonal police authorities. The NEDIK coordinates the efforts of fedpol and the cantons.
Every year, criminal child pornography offenses are committed and criminal child pornography is disseminated in Switzerland. Cooperation between the cantons, fedpol and the NCMEC, as well as with other international partners have made it possible to track down, charge and punish the perpetrators of these offenses, and sometimes even to identify and rescue the victims!
*Name changed for privacy reasons.
NEDIK: an efficient intercantonal network
The Network for Investigative Support in the Fight against Cybercrime (NEDIK) was created by the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders of Switzerland with the aim of facilitating communication and optimising cooperation in Switzerland. It enables the cantons and fedpol to coordinate their efforts in the fight against cybercrime. This network has proven its worth over the past few years in its role as a central point of coordination ensuring fast and direct communication between the authorities. The Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors and the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders jointly regulate the financing and organisation of NEDIK.