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Four men arrested over images

Four men have been arrested by Hampshire Police as part of a national operation against possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

A 54-year-old man from Gosport was arrested, a 43-year-old man from Waterlooville, a 55-year-old from Petersfield and a man from Chandlers Ford who's 49.

The arrests were part of Operation Tharsley which was co-ordinated by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.

On 13th June in the morning, 25 officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s Public Protection and other specialist departments took part in the raids and were led by the Paedophile and Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

Head of the POLIT Detective Inspector Victoria Dennis said: “The joined up approach of police across the country is a warning to anyone who thinks that they can get away with taking, viewing, downloading or distributing indecent images of children.

Every image is evidence that a child somewhere in the world is suffering abuse. Sharing these images and encouraging others to abuse children is a crime.

“This is an international problem and it’s important that local police forces work together with national and international agencies to address it.

“Hampshire Constabulary is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable people in our communities and is investing significantly into a modern and well-resourced Public Protection Department.

"My officers work tirelessly to safeguard children by identifying and arresting suspects, examining computer and other data storage equipment and bringing offenders to justice."

– Detective Inspector Victoria Dennis, Hampshire POLIT
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Raids on suspected paedophiles

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