Police in Umeå are working to identify children who may have been secretly photographed by a leisure-time pedagogue arrested for sex crimes against students. According to SVT Västerbotten, the educator has been detained and is suspected of sexual harassment of children, offensive photography, and child pornography offenses.
The suspect allegedly took secret photographs of children in a school environment, with images reportedly classified as child pornography. Parents at the affected school have expressed anxiety about whether their children were photographed.
When a child is identified, we will file a report and call the parents immediately.
Jonas Edin, a police officer with the Internet-related Sexual Abuse of Children unit (ISÖB), explained the identification process: 'When a child is identified, we will file a report and call the parents immediately.' Edin is not directly involved in the investigation of the suspected educator but described how police identify children from photographs.
Identification methods vary depending on the images. If faces are visible, police can quickly consult with the school. For images without faces, identification takes longer as investigators examine distinguishing features like birthmarks, scars, or unique physical characteristics, along with the location where photos were taken.
Once identified, authorities immediately contact guardians and may conduct child interviews, though Edin noted he couldn't guarantee interviews would occur in this case since the children were unaware they were being photographed.