Operation Ore

Operation Ore
Operation NameOperation Ore
TypeChild pornography crackdown
Roster
Planned byUnited States
Executed byAustralian Federal Police, United Kingdom, United States
Mission
Targetassociated users associated with website portal Landslide Productions
ObjectiveTo round up and prosecute suspects named in a Tip by the United States FBI from Operation Avalanche
Timeline
Date executedMay 2002
Results
Suspects7,250
Arrests3,744
Criminal Complaints1,848
Convictions1,451
Accounting

Operation Ore was a British police operation that commenced in 1999 following information received from US law enforcement, which was intended to prosecute thousands of users of a website reportedly featuring child pornography. It was the United Kingdom's biggest ever computer crime investigation,[1] leading to 7,250 suspects identified, 4,283 homes searched, 3,744 arrests, 1,848 charged, 1,451 convictions, 493 cautioned and 140 children removed from suspected dangerous situations[2] and an estimated 33[3] suicides.[4][5] Operation Ore identified and prosecuted some sex offenders, but the validity of the police procedures was later questioned, as errors in the investigations resulted in many false arrests.[3]

Operation Ore followed a similar crackdown in the United States, called Operation Avalanche; in the US, 100 people were charged from the 35,000 US access records available.[6] In total, 390,000 individuals in over 60 countries were found to have accessed material in the combined investigations.[7]

  1. ^ Christopher Williams. "Police face £750k bill for false Operation Ore charges", Daily Telegraph, 2 April 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012
  2. ^ Arthur, Charles (17 May 2007). "When will we know whether Operation Ore was a success?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Operation Ore exposed". PC Pro. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  4. ^ Laville, Sandra (2 July 2009). "Legal challenge to web child abuse inquiry". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Child Porn Suspects Set to be Cleared in Evidence Shambles", Sunday Times 3 July 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2007.
  6. ^ "Operation Ore exposed Archived 28 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine", PC Pro magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2006.
  7. ^ Jewkes & Andrews. Crime Online: Chapter 5, pp62 – "Internet Child Pornography; international responses". Willan Publishing, UK (also Portland, OR) 1st Ed (2007).