All of us can be heroes...we don’t need to wear capes

Speak your mind when it matters... Real heroes don’t wear masks

Sometimes I’m tempted to put on a mask, climb on a rooftop and kick a clown in the face.

This would, of course, be foolish behaviour, because I’m of a girth that would cause many roofs to buckle, and because I like clowns, despite their portrayal as homicidal maniacs. But the temptation is there. Vigilantism is attractive.

Bad news makes us angry, and we mutter: “Something should be done,” because it’s natural to want to fix problems.

Some people do try. Last week, Mike Lacey, of Beeston, Bedfordshire, was asked to take down a fake speed camera he was using to slow cars on the A1. The public authority, Highways England, recognised his “ingenuity” but pointed out he could be distracting drivers.

Having once lived frighteningly near the A93 Perth to Blairgowrie road, I can see Mr Lacey’s point. There were days when I felt like putting on a high-vis jacket and waving at drivers to slow them down, especially when my daughter caught the school bus. I wanted to help her, to protect the vulnerable.

That feeling doesn’t stop there. I almost nodded in approval when I read about “paedophile hunters” trapping offenders online and in person, including a well-publicised incident in Forfar this summer. But I also read about the events surrounding that Forfar incident, including a heavy police presence in residential areas and the vigilantes arming themselves with a brick, claiming they had been threatened, and my opinions quickly hardened.

I agree with the police on this. Leave the enforcement of justice to the experts, who are trained and have considered all the potential unintended consequences of their actions. Even the innocuous action of setting up a fake speed camera could be a safety risk, and there are better ways to effect change.

I enjoy the adventures of Batman and other colourful crackpots, but if you really want to be a hero, there are better ways to do it.

Speak your mind when it matters. Join a campaign. Donate money or time. Sign a petition. Vote. Real heroes don’t wear masks. Real courage means taking a stand in the right way, frustrating though it may be.