A local Detective Constable says internet child exploitation investigations continue to rise in Chatham-Kent and he expects that trend to continue as more people use electronic devices to communicate.
Gary Oriet tells BlackburnNews.com investigations went from 80 in 2015 to 101 last year and adds they're often lengthy because they need many approvals and warrants.
Oriet says the number of electronic devices analyzed during investigations also increased from 83 in 2015 to 111 last year.
Oriet says at least 90% of cases have a digital fingerprint and investigators continue tracking Internet Protocol addresses to find sex offenders.
He says sex offenders have moved from public playgrounds to the privacy of a bedroom, adding "many of them are ending up digitally spending time in our children's bedrooms."
"It's child abuse images and videos and these children are being exploited on the internet, they're somebody's sons or daughters," says Oriet, and adds that child pornography investigations are the most difficult because they stick with officers for a long time.