Police may have to work with vigilante 'paedophile hunters', says senior officer

Police say they are not ‘winning the conversation’ attempting to stop groups launching own stings

Dark Justice claims it has helped the arrest of 119 alleged sex offenders

Police could “potentially” have to work with controversial vigilante groups that target alleged paedophiles, a senior officer had said.

Groups like Dark Justice and The Hunted One have previously been accused of putting children and police investigations at risk with unofficial “stings” but figures obtained by the BBC show an increase in prosecutions where their evidence has been used.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the national lead for child protection at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told the BBC: “Vigilante groups are putting the lives of children at risk.

“I’m not going to condone these groups and I would encourage them all to stop, but I recognise that I am not winning that conversation.

“I think [working with vigilantes] is something we’re going to have to potentially have to look at, yes, but it comes with some real complexity.”

More than 44 per cent (114 of 259) cases over the crime of meeting a child following sexual grooming used this evidence in 2016, compared to 11 per cent (20 of 176) cases in 2014 (11.3 per cent).

One of the most high profile groups, Dark Justice, claimed it has aided the arrest of 119 potential sex offenders, with 53 convicted so far after operations seeing members pose as children online to snare suspected paedophiles at an undercover meeting.

A brawl broke out at a shopping centre after vigilante group The Hunted One confronted a suspect (Facebook/The Hunted One)

Another group, The Hunted One, came under scrutiny after members confronted a man who allegedly travelled to Bluewater shopping centre in the belief he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex.

During the filming, another group of men burst in and assaulted the man as he was being questioned by vigilantes, causing security guards and police to intervene.

Mirza Beg, 29, was later jailed at Maidstone Crown Court for 40 months.

Chief Constable Bailey warned such groups only advertise the “cases where they believe it has gone well”.

“I don’t encourage or condone the activities of these paedophile hunters,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“They don’t take into consideration the safeguarding risks to children, the implications of a failed operation or the compromise of one of our own operations.

“So I don’t believe that vigilantes are the answer to this problem.”

Supporters of The Hunted One and Dark Justice were celebrating his comments on social media on Monday, although some were cautious over “interference” by police.

As well as concerns over innocent people being smeared online, the broadcast of live “stings” and other evidence could cause trials to collapse if they are used by defence lawyers to argue juries may be biased.

The self-styled paedophile hunters have been urged to “leave it to the professionals” in August, amid increased police efforts to combat online grooming.

The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, announced £20m funding to extend an initiative where undercover detectives operated in internet chat rooms and forums used by suspected offenders.

“Child sexual exploitation has a profoundly devastating impact on the lives of its victims, and it’s a national policing priority to take on the threat it poses,” she said.

“We believe this project has shown early promise in tackling these complex crimes through an innovative approach.”

Forty-three people were arrested and 19 were charged as a result of a year-long pilot led by Norfolk Police, and officers believe they have safeguarded at least 25 children.

Additional reporting by PA