Dutch police in massive crackdown on child porn

6 October 2004

AMSTERDAM — Police raided 173 addresses and arrested two people on Tuesday in a large-scale operation against the spread of child pornography in the Netherlands, the public prosecutor’s office (OM) has revealed.

Police also seized 280 computers and thousands of CDs, videotapes, DVDs and discs during the nationwide raids. Officers had raided 33 addresses in recent weeks leading up to Tuesday’s operation.

Police and prosecution officials compiled the list of addresses from credit card details and sources claim that the computers contained evidence that users had obtained paid entrance to child pornography websites, newspaper De Telegraaf reported.

Police arrested a man in the Brabant town of Uden on suspicion he had sexually abused children. A suspect was also arrested in the Kennemerland police district. Justice authorities said more arrests are expected.

The seized items will be examined in the coming period for evidence of child pornography. But a prosecution spokeswoman denied there was a criminal child pornography network operating in the Netherlands.

The operation was co-ordinated by the national police force KLPD, under leadership of the national prosecution department. The raids were the result of long term inquiries.

Police started preparing the raids in February in response to a large-scale investigation in the US into the worldwide commercial circulation of child pornography on the internet.

US police discovered an internet payments firm in Belarus (White Russia) that was allegedly involved in the collection of money earned by child pornography websites. Millions in US dollars had been paid by credit card.

Police investigated dozens of commercial websites and the companies that maintain them and seized client and computer data. The US authorities than handed over the material to Interpol-member states, including the Netherlands.

Based on the US tip, police raided 400 addresses in Australia last week and arrested about 200 people, including police officers, teachers and the owner of a childcare centre. It was the largest such raid in Australian history.

Back in the Netherlands, the raids on Tuesday involved 200 police officers, public prosecution officials and court judges.

The police region South Holland launched an investigation into child pornography at the start of August, arresting 17 men for alleged possession of child pornography.

One of the detainees is still in remand custody. He has been described as a 58-year-old Zwijndrecht resident. He is accused of sexually abusing children and making child pornography.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news