Child Porn War Needs Plan

Beef Up Cops' Intelligence And Work With International Law Enforcement

- Masoka Dube

As child pornography cases seem to be on the rise in South Africa, experts are calling for beefing up of police intelligence and improved cooperation with international law enforcement agencies.

This comes after the latest child pornography incident in which a 35-year-old man was arrested after police reportedly found 10 million images of child pornography in his house in Midrand, Gauteng, over the weekend.

The man, believed to be hosting and distributing child pornography internationally, was arrested on Friday and spent the weekend at the Randburg police station.

During the arrest, police seized several electronic devices, drugs and cash.

The man appeared in the Randburg Magistrate's Court yesterday and was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance on Tuesday next week.

The case has been postponed to allow the police to conduct further investigation.

Willem Els, an expert from the Institute for Security Studies, said campaigns were also needed to sensitise parents, children and teachers on how to identify elements associated with this crime.

"To prevent this, we need the whole community's involvement to ensure that this is prevented."