WRPS responds to high number of local men charged in child exploitation crackdown
Posted Mar 27, 2026 04:30:30 AM.
Last Updated Mar 30, 2026 11:01:27 AM.
A widespread crackdown on child luring in Ontario ended with 33 males arrested, seven of whom are from the Region of Waterloo.
The Ontario Provincial Police said Project Series was a collaborative effort by dozens of police services, working online over five days from Feb. 9 to 13.
An OPP statement said “Police used investigative techniques to access online chatrooms and social media applications to identify, locate and arrest persons looking to sexually exploit children.”
They said Project Series resulted in 136 charges laid.
Of the 33 accused, four are from Cambridge, two are from Kitchener, and one is from Baden.
A statement from the Waterloo Regional Police Service to 570 NewsRadio said, “Seeing any number of offenders living in our community is troubling and is not a problem unique to Waterloo Region.”
Police said they put extensive resources into those five days, including five detectives, three digital forensic analysts and one sergeant, along with support from the Direction Action Response Team and patrol.
There is also one accused man from Stratford.
The most common charges are luring a person under 16, and invitation to sexual touching. Also charges for possessing, making sexually explicit material, and making it available to a child.
One of the men from Cambridge, identified only as a 40-year-old, is also facing charges of assault with a weapon, and assault police.
All the accused men from Waterloo Region and Stratford are between 27 and 52 years old, but the OPP say the youngest person facing charges in Project Series is 16.
The OPP said the initiative caught two repeat offenders, and Regional Police confirmed to 570 they are both from here in the region.
And while Project Series identified six young victims, who were provided support and are safe, none of them are from here.
The OPP said “some of the accused cannot be identified due to a publication ban.”
WRPS is also featured briefly in an OPP video about Project Series.
The OPP remind you that anyone with any information about child sexual exploitation should contact their local police or report it to cybertip.ca.
