A Belleville man is facing charges as part of a province-wide investigation into child exploitation.
Ontario Provincial Police, along with the Belleville Police Service and 20 other police services, worked together on the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet.
The project resulted in an investigation that started on March 31 and ended on April 11, and resulted in the arrest of 36 suspects. Police used undercover techniques to access online chatrooms to identify, locate and arrest people looking to sexually exploit children.
Among those arrested is a 56-year-old man from Belleville, whose name was not released under a publication ban. He was charged with one count of luring a person under 16.
Over the course of the investigation, police also identified nine victims of exploitation. The victims have been provided support and are safe.
