Police have arrested one man and are investigating two other suspects after seizing thousands of images of child sexual abuse in New Westminster.
Sgt. Jeff Scott said authorities investigated six reports related to disturbing images of child pornography between Aug. 14 and Sept. 19.
The investigation led officers to three different homes in the city, where they seized computers, tablets, cellphones, modems, external hard drives, routers and other electronics for forensic examination.
"Right now they're being forensically analyzed," Scott said.
He told CTV News the investigation is one of the largest of its kind seen in New Westminster.
The sergeant said often offenders think what they've done is victimless.
"Information I've received from investigators is that one of the suspects even asked, 'What's the big deal? I'm just viewing these images,'" Scott said.
"What's concerning is that people who view these images are directly related and perpetuating the sexual offences of these children. What's important to know is these are not victimless crimes, these are real children, really being sexually abused."
The suspect who was arrested is facing unnamed charges. Police said he is a New Westminster resident, but haven’t released any other details about the three suspects' identities except to say that none of them currently work with children.
Police urged anyone who knows someone in possession of child pornography to contact their local authorities.
