The newest provincial coordinator for the Saskatchewan internet child exploitation (ICE) unit is based in Prince Albert.
Staff Sgt. Shawn Stubbs has been appointed to the position for a term of three years, following 22 years of service as an officer with the Prince Albert Police Service.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had it in Prince Albert and I was lucky enough to get the position,” he said.
Stubbs said he is excited to take on the new position and is eager to learn more about the unit’s efforts to combat Internet-based crimes against children.
“(I) became very intrigued with it, with helping kids, of course, and the technical side and just wanted to learn more about it,” Stubbs said.
“The helping kids side of it, the technical side, learning more about computers and working at a provincial unit. It’s comprised of the RCMP, Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert (police members) so you get to work with everyone.
“The people that work in the entire province have been amazing and all the members do all the hard work. I just I get the information, I filter it, I assigned the files and the members do all the hard work and dig into the files and catch the bad guys and it’s awesome. They deserve all the credit.”
In 2020, the ICE unit conducted 737 investigations across the province, laying 115 charges against 39 people.
“The big file that we look at is luring. If someone’s trying to get a child into getting pictures of themselves or videos and trying to make contact with them in any way, shape or form,” Stubbs said.
“(Technology) doubles every year about what they can do with it. And every new app, any electronic device that allows you to communicate in any way, shape or form can be used by people online for nefarious reasons.
“Bad people learn how to use it … we have to learn to keep up with them, to keep on top of all these things and it’s not just one app, it’s everything across the board, anything electronic that you converse.”
Before settling into the role, Stubbs has already set out a goal he wished to accomplish by the end of his term.
“Eventually … set up a computer system that’s just for ICE only throughout the entire province,” he said.
“Right now, it’s set up where Regina does their files on their system, RCMP does it on theirs, Saskatoon and Prince Albert on their own home system. I would like one that’s linked all together where we all work together on the same computer system. But again, that takes funding and money and time so it’ll be a work in progress to get it done.”
The ICE unit has been around since 2009 and coordination of the unit rotates from one of the four participating agencies. Stubbs takes over the position from Regina RCMP Staff Sgt. Scott Lambie.
“Lambie is the one that’s been in charge for the past four years, I believe, and he’s done amazing work on the job,” Stubbs said.
“It was overwhelmingly rewarding and … the type of work has just expanded so much over the time I was there. The type of work we’re doing and the amount of work that we’re doing is just exploding,” Lambie said.
“I’m just transitioning out and Shawn’s taking over and hopefully he does a tremendous job. (I’m) sure he will.”
Lambie said he’s not going to be in the ICE any longer but there’s something currently in the works.