Armidale man charged with child grooming

An Armidale man has been arrested after arranging to meet a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity, police say.

He has been granted strict conditional bail after being charged with alleged child grooming and other offences.

He was arrested on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) were tipped off about a man who was reportedly engaging in online discussions about the sexual abuse of children.

Detectives then posed as a 13-year-old girl and started up an internet conversation.

During the online chats, the man made several sexually explicit and inappropriate comments.

Detectives arrested the 34-year-old at a pre-determined location in Armidale just before midday on Tuesday.

A search warrant was issued for the man's home where police seized computers, cannabis, a set of nunchakus and electronic storage devices.

The man will appear at Armidale Local Court on August 11.