Police say child porn investigations becoming 'more frequent' as charge laid in New Westminster, B.C.

A Metro Vancouver man has been arrested and charged with possession of online child pornography. (File photo)

A New Westminster, B.C., man has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in what police say is becoming a more common and resource-intensive kind of investigation with the rise of AI-generated images.

Christien Stringam, 45, was arrested on July 11 and has since been released from custody with court-ordered conditions.

Court records show Stringam appeared in New Westminster court earlier this month on a single count of possession of child pornography, which is alleged to have occurred in May of 2023.

The New Westminster Police Department says major crime investigators arrested the suspect following an investigation into images of child sexual abuse posted online.

The investigation began after the department received information from the RCMP's Integrated Child Exploitation Unit of B.C.

"The possession of this material provides a depraved incentive for those distributing and creating child sexual abuse material to continue their activities," New Westminster police Sgt. Andrew Leaver said in a news release Friday.

"It's a cycle that causes far-reaching harm to children, their families, caregivers, and communities."

The conditions of Stringham's release from custody include a prohibition on communicating or being alone with anyone under 18 years of age, according to the release.

"These kinds of investigations are becoming more frequent and more resource intensive considering new factors like AI-generated images," Leaver added.

"Currently, the New Westminster Police Department doesn’t have an investigator dedicated to child sexual exploitation investigations."

Stringham is scheduled to appear in a New Westminster court on Nov. 6.