WINNIPEG -- A 29-year-old man from Winnipeg is facing charges after an investigation found that he was allegedly trying to lure a child under the age of 14 online.

Winnipeg police said the man was posing as a 14-year-old boy and had contacted the child for about a month before the parents of the child learned of the conversations.

Police said when the parents found out, they contacted the Winnipeg Police Service.

On June 25, 2020, members of the Internet Child Exploitation unit became involved in the investigation, and on July 14, the unit conducted an undercover investigation that led to the man's arrest.

Kenneth Dale Emerson has been charged with two counts of luring a person under the age of 16 by means of telecommunication.

He was not known to police.

Police said he has been released on a recognizance as outlined by the Criminal Code.

The charges against Emerson have not been proven in court.

Const. Rachel Vertone said parents need to be involved in their children's online activity.

"It is important for parents to know what their children are up to online and what they are looking at and who they are speaking with. It is the responsibility and the duty of parents to make sure that their children are safe and not being victimized by predators online," said Vertone.

Vertone said she wouldn't go into details about what Emerson might have been planning, saying "the victim has already experienced enough."

She added there could be other victims.

"Incidents like these, there's always the potential for more victims, and if there are we would like to speak to those victims," Vertone said.

She also mentioned that between April and June, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection has noted an 81 per cent increase in child luring incidents online compared to the previous three months.