Halifax Regional Police say they were shocked when an investigation into child pornography led to one of their own volunteers.

Cst. Mark Hobeck, who runs the youth program the man worked for, says "it was very concerning to us quite a surprise and shock when we found this out."

However, police say none of the children the man worked with has come forward with a complaint.

The non-profit youth program is aimed at teenagers who are interested in policing. The screening process for volunteers involved a criminal-record check and an interview.

The charges followed an investigation of Internet chat rooms where some people exchange child pornography. Police seized a computer from the suspect's home, where they allege prohibited images were stored.

There's no indication, police say, that images of local children were on the computer.

The man was arrested last week, and released on conditions that include: no computer or web access, staying away from children under the age 16, and not coming within 25 metres of areas where kids frequent.

Timothy Murphy, 23, will appear in court May 11 to be arraigned.

With a report from ATV's Mark Patrone