By Clark Stork

I.C.E. investigator speaks in Melfort

Mar 24, 2018 | 3:03 PM

During a day-long RCMP event in Melfort Thursday, several speakers were on hand including Cpl. Jared Clarke, a member of the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit (I.C.E.) who discussed internet safety.

Clarke spoke in the afternoon to students from Grades 7 to 9, alongside a group of parents during the evening. Clarke told northeastNOW he hopes children and parents use common sense when it comes to the internet or text messaging.

“Be responsible online,” Clarke said. “Before you send that text or take that intimate image and release it onto the internet, think about the possible consequences.”

I.C.E. was established in 2009 in the province due to the increase in child pornography, exploitation, and internet luring. Clarke said on average there are 25 new social networking sites launched per month, making their jobs more difficult each day.

“We’re always going to be playing catch up to where the predators are. I tell kids and adults the predators will go to where the kids are,” he said.

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Clarke doesn’t condemn children and parents from the digital world, and rather encourages parents to monitor the children’s internet and cell phone use. He recommended keeping electronics such as cell phones and tablets out of bedrooms and bathrooms, especially younger children, like the group he spoke in front of in the afternoon at the Kerry Vickar Centre. Clarke said parents need to know the risk and be vigilant with their children’s use.

“They aren’t aware of the dangers that the internet can bring into their home. What we’re hoping to do by presentations like this is simply say this is what’s out there,” he said. “If more and more parents can police a little more at their home hopefully we will see a downturn in kids being victimized.”

clark.stork@jpbg.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork