Police charge man in undercover child sexual abuse imagery sting

A Winnipeg man has been charged with possessing child pornography after undercover officers posed online as vulnerable children.

The 53-year-old man came onto the radar of British Columbia police last June after officers started an undercover investigation, Winnipeg police said.

Officers in the Winnipeg policeinternet child exploitation unit on Monday charged the man with making and distributing child pornography.

Const. Rob Carver said there are no direct victims involved in the case, but reposting an image of a child in an online chat room is enough for police to lay charges.

'Happening in our neighbourhoods'

Carver said the public should know there are predators in Winnipeg.

"This is happening in our neighbourhoods," he said.

"I think there was a sense years ago that this came [from] overseas and we couldn't do much about this. That's not the case."

Predators should beware police in other jurisdictions regularly work with authorities in other regions, as they did in this case, Carver said.

"Law enforcement is out there, not just in Canada, but around the world."

Police arrested the man in the Charleswood area.

Theyencouragethe public to report child sexual abuse imagery through Cybertip.ca.