Atlantic Canada Frank
27 October 2010
CONST. PAUL SMITH OF THE CHILD EXPLOITATION UNIT OF THE RCMP OUT OF HALIFAX TELLS ME “ANYONE WHO VIEWS CHILD PORN IS CONSIDERED A PEDOPHILE.”
He tells me that pedophiles often seek out various forms of employment which put them in close proximity to children.-
“Their (pedophiles’) mission is to gain access and control over the child by building a relationship of trust.
“Pedophelia,” Const. Smith stresses, “Is a crime of opportunity.”
Research, he tells me, has shown that 85 per cent of people who view, make, or trade in child pornography have either in the past sexually abused a child, or is at a very high risk to abuse a child.
Const. Smith adds that the children targeted for abuse are usually lacking attention, or some other basic need. Poverty is often a factor
Pedophiles will “groom” young children. Befriend them, reward them, take them on outings. Make them feel special.
Const. Smith, 57, a 37-year vet of the force, has been working with Child Exploitation Unit for five years. He grew up in Middleton.
He has seen all the images, the stills, the moving pictures. He’s heard the cries.
“It’s nothing,” he tells me, “to see a naked young, smiling eight‑year-old boy holding a chocolate bar in one hand and his penis in the other.”
As for the sex tourist trade in countries like Thailand and Malaysia, Const. Smith pulls no punches.
“You can get on the Internet in Halifax or anywhere else in the world (Antigonish included),” he says, “And order up two seven-year-olds to be right in your hotel room when you arrive.”