Standing guard for the children

As head of the RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit, Cpl. Dave Fox sees first-hand the extent of the online sex trade in Nova Scotia.
There are thousands of people in the province involved in the trading of child pornography over the Internet, says Fox, a New Glasgow native.
"The images would make you sick to your stomach," says the father of two teenaged children, a daughter and a son.
Among the trends Fox has noticed since being promoted to the unit in 2006 is the fact that the children in these pornographic images are getting younger, most of them under age nine. Moreover, he says the images being traded are becoming increasingly violent.
But oftentimes, simply having these pornographic images isn't enough to satisfy offenders, he says.
"We know a lot of those people who have access to and trade in child pornography are potential contact offenders," Fox says. "Just looking at this stuff won't satisfy their needs. They're eventually going to reach out and offend against a kid."
If they do act out and abuse children, those in close contact, such as family members and neighbours, are most at risk, he adds. While the cases continue to pile up, Fox says there is some good news - every charge from the ICE Unit in relation to child pornography has resulted in a conviction.
"Nationally, police agencies are starting to find more and more victims of sexual abuse are coming forward," Fox says, adding that the more convictions there are reported, the more likely victims are to speak out.
While the ICE Unit is not currently investigating any cases in Pictou County, Fox knows of at least three investigations done here since the unit was formed in 2003. "Our first step leads us to an address," he says, avoiding specifics so as to not divulge police tactics.
"Our next job is to make sure we can put somebody behind a keyboard, which can be difficult at times."
Fox admits there are times it's a struggle to not get emotionally invested in a case. He says officers in the unit are required to meet with force psychologists for ongoing evaluations and assessments.
"You never become immune to it, to those images," he says. "There is a shelf life for how long people can do this."
But he says the work is, ultimately, very rewarding.
"Every time you're identifying, charging and convicting these people, you're protecting kids. You're rescuing current or future victims."

Cpl. Dave Fox was born in New Glasgow. He graduated from New Glasgow High School in 1984.
After high school, he earned a degree from Acadia University. His first posting for the RCMP was in Vancouver, where he worked as a general duty constable. He spent four years in British Columbia before transferring to the Northwest Territories, once again as a general duty constable.
He came back to Nova Scotia in 1998 and worked in Musquodoboit Harbour for a brief period. Fox was employed off-and-on with the RCMP's Major Crime Unit in Bedford until 2003 when he took a job in Halifax with the Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit.
In February 2006, he became head of the RCMP's Child Exploitation Unit, which is the position he still holds today.