Employ online vigilantes to track down sex offenders, says police chief

A police commissioner has said that forces should hire online “paedophile hunters” to help catch sex offenders, in spite of Home Office condemnation of the vigilantes.

Jeff Cuthbert, police and crime commissioner for Gwent Police, wants to recruit paedophile hunters as special constables so they can work with officers to make arrests.

The Home Office has previously said it does not agree with self-styled online vigilantes who track down and confront child groomers.

Mr Cuthbert said: “What we don’t know of course is how many potential perpetrators have got away with it because it’s not been done properly or walked away because it’s not stood up in court, so it’s a question of balance.

“The message is let’s work together. Of course there are training implications. It would have to be done in a planned way – the right way – but I think in terms of the principle, it’s the right way forward.”

In the past year seven online sex offenders have been caught by paedophile hunters in Mr Cuthbert’s force area alone. The vigilantes typically pose as children online, recording stings live and uploading video footage to social media to expose predators.