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A 31-year-old Durham Regional Police constable has been accused of child luring and other sexual exploitation-related offences after an arrest was made over the weekend by Northumberland OPP.

The OPP’s Central Region said in a post on social media that the accused, an Ajax resident, was charged on Sunday after an investigation led by the Northumberland Detachment that included help from “multiple” other OPP units and the Durham police digital forensics unit.

“The accused faces several Criminal Code charges related to child sexual abuse and exploitation material, the online luring of young persons, making sexually explicit material available to young persons and indecent exposure to a person under 16 years of age,” the statement said.

In a statement of their own issued shortly after the OPP release, Durham cops identified the accused as Const. Tre Hamad , who has since been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case.

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Durham cops taking allegations very seriously’

Officials said they take the allegations against Hamad “very seriously.

“As the investigation was conducted by an external police service and the matter is now before the courts, DRPS cannot provide any further comment,” their statement said.

A request for a comment from the Durham Regional Police Association, including whether they were aware of the charges against Hamad and had been in contact with him since his arrest, was not immediately returned.

A Quinte News report said that the investigation included the Northumberland, Peterborough County and Haliburton Highlands OPP crime units, which were assisted by the regional support and emergency response teams with search warrants being executed in Ajax and Whitby.

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The report said Hamad has since been charged with possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material; making sexually explicit material available to a person under 18 years of age; luring a person under 18 years of age by means of telecommunication; indecent exposure to a person under 16 years of age; and makes, prints, publishes or possesses for the purpose of publication of any child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

He was also charged with two counts each of making sexually explicit material available to a person under 16 years of age and luring a person under 16 years of age by means of telecommunication.

The OPP said the accused was held for a bail hearing and that they could not comment further due to a publication ban.

In the meantime, the OPP urged parents and caregivers to discuss online safety with children and youth, especially when it comes to communicating with strangers and sharing personal information or images.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact Northumberland OPP at 1-888-310-1122. They also said anyone affected by this case or a similar one can access support through Peterborough Northumberland Victim Services by contacting them at 1-888-822-7729.