NZ Police join global cybercrime taskforce

New Zealand Police has joined Australian counterparts in a Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) that comprises eight international agencies working together to combat online child exploitation.

The taskforce is chaired by Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan. Its other members are INTERPOL, agencies from the UK, Italy, Canada, the US and UAE.

Launched in 2003, VGT aims to dismantle global paedophile networks by coordinating covert online investigations, sharing and developing intelligence, and targeting travelling sex offenders.

It conducts Operation PIN, which involves the creation of a website that purports to contain child pornography, but is in fact a law enforcement site.

New Zealand Police signed an agreement to join the taskforce at a meeting in Rome today, declaring a commitment to combat online child abuse both locally and internationally.

Announcing the partnership, AFP's Gaughan said that "online child exploitation is a borderless crime.

"This highlights the requirement for international collaboration and the need for law enforcement agencies to come together on a global scale to make the internet a safer place."