Media Release

Queensland Police announce more arrests in major child pornography investigation Operation Golf Cortex

Queensland Police have today announced further arrests in a major operation in the ongoing fight against child exploitation.

In one of the largest operations of its kind in Queensland, a total of 66 people have been arrested for the possession and distribution of child exploitation images.

The joint investigation, in Queensland codenamed Operation Golf Cortex, involved officers from Queensland Police Service’s Taskforce Argos – its specialist child protection arm – Regional Child Protection and Investigation Units, and the Australian Federal Police.    

The Queensland component of the national operation was launched in April, targeting Internet users who had accessed and downloaded child exploitation material from a European-based website.   

Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said the Queensland arrests were part of an international operation involving 170 countries.

"The operation once again highlights the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies working together to identify those who seek to abuse and exploit children," Commissioner Atkinson said.

“Our officers have worked diligently and quickly, underscoring our absolute and unequivocal position of zero tolerance for those who access and download child exploitation material.

“It has been our first priority to target those people who may work with children and, as a result, four teachers and five blue card holders are among the 66 arrested in Queensland. Two of the teachers were charged by the AFP, and the remainder by QPS.

“In a prior statement we indicated there were six blue card holders. However, further investigation has established that there are actually five.

“Nevertheless, the variety of occupations of offenders charged during this operation illustrates the fact that offenders have come from all spectrums of society.”

A spokesperson for the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian said: “When the Commission was advised of charges being laid, action was immediately taken to suspend the blue cards held by these individuals.

“This action also included notifying any relevant employer with a direction that the person cannot continue to engage in regulated child-related activities."

Detective Superintendent Peter Crawford, from the Queensland Police Service Child Safety and Sexual Crime Group, said the operation had resulted in the execution of 185 search warrants.

“All Queensland targets identified in this operation have been the subject of investigation,” Detective Superintendent Crawford said.

The results of the operation include 66 people arrested on 235 charges.

Of these, QPS executed 157 warrants with 50 people arrested on 202 charges. The AFP executed 28 warrants with 16 people arrested on 33 charges.

“And, while this operation may have concluded here in Queensland, the public can be assured that other such investigations are underway, and anyone who accesses or downloads child exploitation material can expect a knock on their door by police.

"Often these images being downloaded show young children being brutalised sexually, physically and psychologically.

"Images of children being sexually abused and exploited may be readily available via the Internet, but it is illegal to access and download them, and there are severe penalties for doing so.

“There is no tolerance in Queensland for those who access and download child exploitation material.

“All members of the community must accept that possession of child pornographic images is not a victimless crime.”

Queensland Police Service’s Taskforce Argos earlier this year helped crack an international Internet paedophile network, as part of a collaborative effort involving the FBI and numerous other law enforcement agencies.