KINSA says "Time for Action is Now!" in Response to Canadian Association of Police Boards Report on Cybercrime in Canada

Toronto - May 21, 2008 - KINSA - the Kids' Internet Safety Alliance - is today calling on all Canadians - and in particular government at all levels - to pay close attention to the report released earlier today by the Canadian Association of Police Boards on Cybercrime in Canada.

"This is an important report and the work done by the Canadian Association of Police Boards highlights the scope and challenges of a problem that front-line workers in this field have known for years," said Paul Gillespie, CEO of KINSA. 

The report laid out a very compelling picture of the problem of cybercrime in Canada - and in particular crimes involving children on the Internet - and also identified what must be done to combat these crimes.  Specifically, the report notes the need for: 

All front-line law-enforcement to work collaboratively, across Canada and internationally;

• A dedicated centre or centres where law enforcement, government, private sector and academia can coordinate efforts;



• Increased dedicated resources for law enforcement and prosecution, including dedicated child exploitation initiatives;



• Increased training for Crown prosecutors to handle these special crimes;



• The need to share prevention education with the public and to properly resource these initiatives;



• Updated international protocols such as Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) so that digital evidence can be secured from international MLAT partners in a timely manner; and,



• The need for legislation requiring mandatory reporting of child pornography.

"Perhaps most importantly, however, the report highlighted the role that every aspect of society - law enforcement, the private sector business community, educators, parents, kids and the general public - have in combating crimes involving the Internet, said Bill Hutchison, Chair of KINSA. The very foundation of KINSA - a charity we founded in the spirit of public and private collaboration to combat the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet - is one that seeks to bring all these groups together."

"This report cannot be left on a shelf to collect dust. It should serve as a clarion call to governments at all levels across Canada, as well as to the private sector, that action is needed to address these crimes," said Gillespie. "The report is written as an action plan. KINSA will continue to do its part as a not-for-profit advocate and as a group who can break down public-private or international boundaries faster and more effectively than government can. We hope that we're joined in these efforts."

About KINSA

The Kids' Internet Safety Alliance (KINSA) was established as an aggressive and proactive response to the negative aspects of the Internet that harm young people. While addressing this grave social problem, KINSA also acknowledges and celebrates the positive, creative and inspiring ways children and youth are using the Internet.

So far, KINSA has initiated:

• An international training program where charitable donations are being used to bring police officers from around the world to Canada to be trained on leading-edge technology and the latest tools and techniques of cyber-investigations.  Teams from Chile, Romania and Brazil have come through the training program and are working in their countries to combat crimes against children.  More countries, to be announced in a few weeks, are coming through later this summer.
   



• A number of education programs, including the production of a comic book in partnership with Nelvana's Grossology characters that teach an Internet safety message to kids in the 9 - 14 year old range. This comic was distributed to almost 300,000 kids across Canada in April.
  
  



• A multilingual Web site, now in 9 languages, to be a resource for parents and the general public on what they can do to take action to keep kids safe. 

KINSA representatives are frequent and passionate speakers in the media and to groups around the world on the need to combat this growing crime with positive and proactive action by all aspects of society. 

For more information, please contact:
Michael Ras, Vice Chair of KINSA
(647) 228-2339
Email: Mike.ras@hillandknowlton.ca

Available for interviews or comment are:
Bill Hutchison - Chair of KINSA
Paul Gillespie - President & CEO of KINSA
David Butt - Legal Director, KINSA & former Crown Prosecutor
Gary Ellis - Training Director, KINSA & former Supt with the Toronto Police Service

Please contact Mike Ras to arrange an interview with any of the above. 

Download this press release:
kinsa-cybercrime-response.pdf

See also:

Canadian Association of Police Boards (CAPB)
A report on cybercrime in Canada
April 25, 2008
(Acrobat [PDF] file, 32 pages)