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The New Brunswick RCMP is warning the public against taking the law into their own hands following reports of individuals impersonating children to entice potential suspects into committing crimes.
“A group of individuals” has been engaging in incidents of vigilantism in the Dieppe, Moncton, and Riverview areas of the province, the RCMP said in a press release this week.
The Mounties are advising members of the public to leave such operations to the police. The press release emphasized the danger associated with civilians trying to apprehend potential offenders and pointed out that these actions could jeopardize ongoing police investigations, the collection of evidence, or future legal proceedings.
“We have a number of specialized units and teams who work diligently investigating these types of crimes each and every day,” New Brunswick RCMP Cpl. Luc Picard said. “Our investigators have very robust strategies, including undercover police work, to tackle these complex investigations in accordance with the Criminal Code and case law.”
There are several units set up within the RCMP to address child exploitation, including the internet child exploitation unit, the digital forensic section, the major crime unit, and the general investigation section, the national police force said.
A total of 38 suspects have been arrested in connection with child exploitation related offences since April 2024, resulting in 74 charges and 153 victims being located, police said.
“Due to the complexities of these investigations, and the expertise required to retrieve digital evidence in compliance with court demands, they often take time in order to ensure the case can be successfully prosecuted,” Picard said. “We understand that the public is not always aware of the work that we are doing, but we want people to know that we are working diligently everyday to ensure the safety of the children in our province.”
Police services across Canada reported 16,905 incidents of online child sexual exploitation in 2024, representing a rate of 223 incidents per 100,000 children and youth aged 17 and younger, according to a report this year from Statistics Canada.
Despite a 16 percent decline from 2023 to 2024, the overall rate of such incidents remains nearly three times higher than in 2018 and more than four times higher than in 2014.
Seventy-seven percent of reported incidents in 2024 involved online child sexual abuse and exploitation material, the report said.
The stats also showed that while material-based offences dipped, online sexual offences against children rose by 43 percent from 2023 to 2024, driven by a 65 percent increase in luring.
The RCMP is asking anyone with information about such cases to contact them or local police.
