Police ‘should talk to paedophile hunters’

A SENIOR police officer has said he wants to “forge a relationship” with vigilante groups because ignoring them is not working.

Paddy Tipping, the police and crime commissioner for Nottinghamshire, has held meetings, phone and email conversations with two paedophilehunting groups that seek to ensnare child abusers before calling police.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Tipping said police should try to “forge some kind of relationship and some kind of understanding” with the groups after their numbers soared.

So far, evidence provided by paedophile hunters has been used in at least 150 criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. But they remain controversial as some confrontations with suspects can be violent and is often filmed, and the footage then posted online.

This often includes the target’s name, address and face before police have had a chance to investigate.

A recent case was thrown out of court because it was decided that the defendant had been “entrapped” by the group, although an appeal court reversed the decision. Mr Tipping said: “The groups aren’t going to go away. Stuff ’s happening and we’ve got to find a way forward.”

He said police should work to establish a list of protocols with the groups to ensure identities are protected while using the intelligence they gather.

However, some senior police officers have warned against working closely with the groups. Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection, said some groups are “taking risks they don’t understand and can undermine police investigations”.