Eight men have been arrested after the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) recently ran an undercover investigation targetting adults who attempt to lure children online for sexual purposes. 

The WPS ran a similar operation for the first time in June 2018. That operation was called Project Hook and resulted in seven men being arrested and charged with Child Luring.

The most recent investigation was called Hook 2.0 and ran over the course of two weeks in March of 2019. As a result, eight men between the ages of 20 - 46 have been arrested and been charged with Child Luring. Of those arrested, six males also face an additional charge of Make Sexually Explicit Material Available to a Child.

Six of the men are from Winnipeg, another is from Manitoba, and one resides out of province.

Sgt. Rick McDougall of the WPS said that officers present themselves online as a person under the age of 14. He said he is reluctant to share how exactly officers conduct the operation, but is a "bit of a back and forth between offenders" referring to how conversations take place. McDougall says disclosing the specifics of the tools police use could result in police losing the upper hand in these types of investigations.

McDougall said the WPS is committed to protecting youth and those at risk of sexual exploitation in our community. The investigation was carried out in conjunction with the support of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the Winnipeg Police Counter Exploitation Unit and Internet Child Exploitation Unit.

These proactive investigations are continuing by members of the Counter Exploitation Unit.

Citizens are encouraged to report concerns if someone they know may be involved in sexual exploitation online. For more information on addressing child victimization, or to report concerns, visit Canada's national tip line at Cybertip.ca.

Information which guides parents on how to engage in the very important conversation with their children about potential luring situations can be found here: Online Luring Safety Sheet