Combating online child sexual abuse material. An explorative study of Swedish police investigations
Abstract
Online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a growing problem that transcends
geographical borders. In order to improve cooperation between international law
enforcement, knowledge concerning the jurisdiction, procedure and issues with
investigations in different countries is needed. This study aims to provide
information on the Swedish context by (a) exploring how the Swedish police work
with investigations of online CSAM, and (b) identifying potential challenges. The
research questions have been answered by qualitative interviews with law
enforcement personnel. Systematic text condensation revealed that there is a
significant difference in the procedure between the police regions and that four
major problems face the police. First, the police are dependent upon digital
forensic experts but have limited access to their expertise and other resources due
to the crime not being prioritised. Second, Internet Service Providers are not
required to save their users IP-addresses, which complicates identification of the
suspect. Third, a holistic perspective within the police is required. Investigators
should work with all sexual crimes against children and not just CSAM, in order
to be able to see reoccurring elements in the identification process. Four, there is a
lack of public knowledge concerning CSAM that affects the resources and
number of cases the police receive. The Swedish police is currently creating
regional cybercrime centres in an attempt to create a national strategy for
computer-related investigations. The implications on the victim identification
process and development of treatment for offenders are discussed, as well as
future directions. Clearer guidelines are needed.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
child sexual abuse material, information technology, internet, investigation, police, International Resources, Sweden
Citation
Johansson, C. (2019). Combating online child sexual abuse material. An explorative study of Swedish police investigations. Malmö, Sweden: Malmö University