Police raids lead to nine arrests following child pornography investigation

Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed that nine men have been arrested in a series of raids this week as part of an investigation into indecent images of children named Operation Cosford.

The men have been released on bail for between six and eight months.

The warrants were issued across Devon and Cornwall on Monday 13 May and Tuesday 14 May following intelligence from other Forces and the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre.

The seven men from Devon and two from Cornwall were all arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children and bailed pending further investigation. The ages of the men range from 26 to 78. Two of the men have also been arrested on suspicion of distributing indecent images of children.

18 computers were seized along with a number of media devices such as USBs, CDs, DVDs and printed photographs. The forensic examination of these items by the High Tech Crime Unit is expected to take two to three months.

Detective Inspector Simon Snell said, Head of the Force Child Exploitation Unit, said: “Every image and device we have seized is effectively a crime scene showing a child being abused by an adult. Our main priority at the moment is safeguarding the children from harm. We are working closely with partners and safeguarding boards to ensure the safety of any children connected with these men.

“If you are downloading indecent images of children you will be caught. It might not be today or tomorrow or even next week but at some point we will be knocking on your door.

“Months of careful planning have gone into this operation in the lead up to the raids. Between 30 and 40 officers have been involved with the operation, including officers from the Child Exploitation Unit, Public Protection Unit, and High Tech Crime Unit.”

None of the men arrested has been named and no details of where they are from has been released at this stage. The police say that the arrests are not linked to one another.