Polish Police Arrest 61 in Child Porn Swoop

Warsaw - Polish police said on Wednesday they had arrested 61 people in a new nationwide Internet child pornography swoop which had netted 138 suspects last month.

"Police carried out searches in 58 houses and apartments," a statement said. "They arrested 61 people and seized 58 computers as well as 5 000 CDs and DVDs, mobile telephones, cameras, video cassettes, hard disks and memory cards."

Those arrested ranged from "students, doctors, unemployed individuals, as well as minors," it said.

Polish police last month launched a sweeping operation, codenamed "Simone", in which 138 people were arrested after raids in 117 locations, including homes and offices. They seized 144 computers and hard drives.

More than 12 000 DVDs, CDs and files containing child pornography were also seized.

In September, police also identified thousands of IP addresses - the "signature" of an individual computer - where child pornography had been downloaded.

They then tipped off peers about potential suspects in Austria, Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

The possession of child pornography in Poland carries a maximum prison term of up to five years, and up to 10 years for its distribution.

IOL