Member Countries
Each of the VGT member agencies is responsible for the trans-border law enforcement aspects of its territory of the world, and is dedicated to the belief that all children deserve protection from the dangers posed by the internet. There is a shared understanding among member countries that this protection is often only achieved by global, not merely national, methods.
For more information on the VGT principles of governance and how to become a member, contact us.
The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) members include:
Australia
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is a progressive and multi-faceted law enforcement organisation and is proud to be working with partner agencies to provide a holistic response to online child sexual exploitation in our local, national and global community.
Through the High Tech Crime Operations portfolio, the AFP also continues to initiate and fund a number of measures and programs to prevent child sex trafficking and tourism and prosecute child sex offenders.
Child Protection Operations (CPO), formerly known as the Online Child Sex Exploitation Team, was established in 2005. The CPO teams investigate and target offenders who seek to prey on or exploit children in both the online environment and those who may travel offshore to commit sexual offences or sexual exploitation against children. The AFP works closely with foreign law enforcement agencies prosecuting these offenders in foreign countries or, where applicable, pursues prosecutions directly using Australia’s extra-territorial laws.
Canada
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre
The National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (NCECC) is a national program of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC). The CPCMEC also comprises the RCMP’s National Missing Children Services and the National Police Support Centre for Missing Persons. The CPCMEC is Canada’s national contact point and coordination centre for police investigations involving sexually exploited children, missing children, missing adults and unidentified human remains.
The NCECC was established as the law enforcement component of Canada’s National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet. The NCECC is mandated to reduce the vulnerability of children to internet-facilitated sexual exploitation by: identifying victimized children; investigating and assisting in the prosecution of sexual offenders; and, strengthening the capacity of municipal, territorial, provincial, federal, and international police agencies through training and investigative support.
Europol
Europol is the law enforcement agency of the European Union. Its aim is to help achieve a safer Europe by supporting the law enforcement agencies of European Union member states in their fight against international serious crime and terrorism.
Around 700 staff at Europol headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands work closely with law enforcement agencies in the 27 European Union member states and in other non-EU partner states such as Australia, Canada, the USA and Norway.
As Europol officers have no direct powers of arrest, they support law enforcement colleagues by gathering, analysing and disseminating information and coordinating operations. Europol’s partners use the input to prevent, detect and investigate offences, and to track down and prosecute those who commit them. Europol experts and analysts take part in Joint Investigation Teams which help solve criminal cases on the spot in EU countries.
Europol personnel come from different kinds of law enforcement agencies, including regular police, border police, customs and security services. This multi-agency approach helps to close information gaps and minimise the space in which criminals can operate.
Some 130 Europol Liaison Officers are based at Europol headquarters. These ELOs are seconded to Europol by the EU member states and non-EU partners. They guarantee fast and effective cooperation based on personal contact and mutual trust.
Interpol
Interpol exists to help create a safer world. Its aim is to provide a unique range of essential services for the law enforcement community to optimise the international effort to combat crime.
Italy
Italian Postal and Communication Police Service
The Italian Postal and Communication Police Service is the specialised unit in charge of tackling high tech crimes, including child pornography via the internet. It relies on dedicated investigative powers endorsed by specific legislation, namely under-cover investigations, purchasing of illegal material, postponing of mandatory acts like search and seizure and arrests.
The National Centre for Countering On Line Child Pornography has recently been set up as a coordinating centre for domestic and international online child exploitation investigations. It also promotes preventive measures.
New Zealand
New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police is the lead agency responsible for reducing crime and enhancing community safety. It provides policing services 24 hours a day and operates from more than 400 community-based police stations around the country. New Zealand Police operate by land, sea and air, and with more than 11,000 staff it responds to more than 600,000 emergency calls each year.
On the 16th of October 2009 the Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand (OCEANZ) unit was launched as a specialist, dedicated response to this crime type. OCEANZ is part of a multi agency model working with the Department of Internal Affairs and New Zealand Customs Service. The New Zealand Police are using a centralised model for the initial investigation and proactive work within this crime type.
The New Zealand Police role is focused in four main areas:
- Interagency response to international investigations
- Proactive covert presence on the internet
- Victim identification
- National and international coordination of investigative referrals
United Arab Emirates
Ministry of Interior for the United Arab Emirates
The Ministry of Interior works co-operatively with other agencies and organisations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to create and maintain a safe society. The Ministry of Interior is committed to the preservation of peace and tranquillity, the reduction of crime and the fear of crime in the UAE and the detection of offenders. It seeks to preserve stability, the reduction of crime and the removal of a sense of fear, as well as contributing to the achievement of justice among the general public. It places the highest possible value on providing a public service of which the UAE can be proud. The vision of the police is to be operationally effective, responding to the needs of society with the highest level of integrity and training.
The Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates is the lead federal agency involved in the prevention, detection and investigation of child abuse and sexual exploitation on line. Working with both local police and at a national and international level with overseas police agencies, the UAE Ministry of Interior is continually working to catch and bring to justice those responsible for the misery this crime causes. Our children are our future and we do everything possible to protect them.
The UAE is proud to be the first Arab Nation to become a member of the internationally acclaimed ‘Virtual Global Taskforce’.
United Kingdom
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the exploitation of children. That means building intelligence around the risks, tracking and bringing offenders to account either directly or with local and international police forces and working with children and parents to deliver the unique ThinkuKnow internet safety program. CEOP’s approach is truly holistic, its style is totally inclusive and its appeal is to everyone out there to work with CEOP in making every child matter, everywhere.
United States of America
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the second largest investigative agency in the United States government. ICE’s primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration. ICE works closely with foreign law enforcement partners through more than 60 attaché offices in 47 countries.
Operation Predator
Operation Predator is a comprehensive ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators that brings together ICE’s broad enforcement authorities. The initiative targets internet child pornographers, international child sex tourists, foreign national sexual predators, and human smugglers and traffickers of children.
