Task Force Argos
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| Queensland Police Service | |
 |
|
| Logo of the Queensland Police Service. | |
| Motto | With Honour We Serve |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 January, 1864 |
| Employees | 10,237 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Queensland, Australia |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 200 Roma Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 27°27′59″S 153°01′06″E / 27.4664°S 153.0182°ECoordinates: 27°27′59″S 153°01′06″E / 27.4664°S 153.0182°E |
| Agency executive | Robert Atkinson, Commissioner |
| Units |
List
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| Website | |
| www.police.qld.gov.au/ | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
Task Force Argos is a police squad, thirty strong based in Queensland, Australia.[1] They deal with child pornography and child groomers[2].
[edit] Practices
The squad identifies potential online predators using officers posing as under-age children in chatrooms[2][3] and also by posing as child sex offenders to infiltrate their networks. The under cover officer maintains communications with the suspect until the offender decides to meet the "child" where they are arrested, most commonly for a charge of "procuring a child over the internet".[4] Argos is also responsible for conducting research into the modus operandi of online predators and their effects on their victims.[5] Argos corresponds with inter state and international departments to find and prosecute predators.[6]
In December 2008, task force members arrested and charged Maroochydore man Chris Illingworth with 'using the internet to access and publish child-abuse material' after he allegedly reposted on Liveleak a viral video of a man swinging a baby by its arms.[7] On 9 September 2009, it was announced that the charges had been dropped by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions after reviewing the case. Illingworth has called for an inquiry into how he came to be charged in the first place.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ "A web of evil, Gotcha with Gary Hughes Blog". The Australian. 5 September 2006. http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/garyhughes/index.php/theaustralian/comments/a_web_of_evil/. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ a b "NZer charged with using web to procure child". The New Zealand Herald. AAP. 21 January 2008. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10487995. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Queensland police stings in online chat rooms, Australian Institute of Criminology
- ^ Crimes Amendment (Sexual Procurement or Grooming of Children) Bill 2007 - 14 November 2007 - 2R 3R, NSW Parliament
- ^ Who's chatting to your kids?, Queensland Police
- ^ Taskforce Argos, North Coast raids, Queensland Police
- ^ Moses, Asher (2008-12-11). "Police defend baby swinging video charge". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/home/technology/net-video-crime-epidemic/2008/12/11/1228584982919.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- ^ "Baby-swinging video charges dropped". Brisbane Times. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/babyswinging-video-charges-dropped-20090909-fh33.html. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
