There are some who feel that the justice system isn't doing enough to deal with the issue of child predators and so a growing number of people have taken the initiative upon themselves to try and catch pedophiles in their community.
In the UK, Canada, and elsewhere, people are using social media to try and publicly shame those who they catch trying to meet underage teenagers. They have been trying to cooperate with law enforcement in many circumstances, handing over what evidence they have that might help to lead to a conviction.
Groups like Silent Justice, Creep Catchers, Keeping Kids Safe, Creep Busters, and others, have been using social media to find who they believe to be child predators and their activities have led to the arrests and shaming of many, including police officers and even an elementary school principal.
The police have criticized the groups and their vigilante justice in the past, they don't like competition. Not only that, but these groups have been criticized by the public as well and the media, for what people view as harassing and bullying of suspects. Others say that their tactics are undermining the justice system as a whole.
As a result of the backlash from the media and law enforcement, groups like Creep Hunters have vowed to try and clean up their approach. They have said that they are now more determined to try and carry-out their activities without resorting to shaming tactics, profanity, and verbal attacks etc.
These groups say that they are only trying to make their communities safer by exposing the pedophile threat where one might exist.
Police in various jurisdictions have tried to discourage citizens from engaging in this sort of behavior. They want you to remember that they are the only providers of this service. And not to be outdone, media reports suggest that police these days are arresting more pedophiles than ever before.
The online groups who are seeking to catch the predators have been described as being a part of an online justice revolution that is here to stay.
Many of those who are a part of a group like the Creep Catchers also claim that they themselves were sexually abused or are close to someone who was. It's clear that they are passionate about what they are doing, they see a threat and they want to do what they can to try and help in any way. Hopefully that means they and others like them will try to remain professional. And it would be nice to see police try to work more with these groups in any way possible, so that they could try to do some good in catching real threats to society.
Pics:
Pixabay
via Adam Waito/VICE
Sources:
http://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/vigilante-paedophile-hunters-stage-sting-846815
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/our-legal-system-doesnt-work-11605848
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a54240/creep-catchers-canada-pedophile-hunters/
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4xw9mb/predators-or-prey-creep-catchers-accused-of-targeting-people-with-physical-and-mental-disabilities
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/creep-catchers-sociology-1.3758536
https://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/sunday-night/a/37834351/pure-evil-police-arresting-more-predators-than-ever-before/
http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/paedophile-hunters-film-justin-gotsell-wisbech-online-grooming-cambridgeshire-police-one-reason-hunters-1-5300297
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/we-re-seeing-an-online-justice-revolution-that-s-good-isn-t-it-1.3302840
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/07/australian-police-sting-brings-down-paedophile-forum-on-dark-web
http://www.thejournal.ie/cyber-crime-superintendent-vigilante-groups-3708746-Nov2017/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sports-direct-manager-caught-vigilantes-11597183