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If you care about child protection and children’s well-being, chances are that you feel enraged by pedophilia and child molestation. But what about pedophile “hunters” and pedophile vigilante groups? Are they going too far rogue to do any real good, or are they saving children from much worse fates?
Although law enforcement officials and federal and state representatives might sometimes disagree about how best to combat child molestation, they agree on one thing: Pedophile hunters, for the most part, do not do any real good in terms of child protection.
In fact, they often disrupt ongoing investigations and may even allow offenders to get off scot-free.
Simon Bailey is head of the child protection unit at the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the chief constable at Norfolk Police. He recently spoke out against popular pedophile hunters’ groups and pedophile vigilante groups, saying that they sometimes distract police from doing what they need to do.
He told members of the press that Facebook pedophile vigilante groups are motivated by clicks, likes, attention, and potential profit. Bailey added that some of the groups have gone too far, outing potential offenders without allowing them to go through due process.
In some cases, these actions have led to suicides, extensive online bullying, and even assaults and other major crimes against suspected predators. Family members and friends connected to suspected offenders have also been bullied and harmed in some cases.
Some of the most popular Facebook-based pedophile vigilante groups include the Hunted One and Dark Justice. Back in 2017, Bailey said that the groups had helped police make some major arrests and convictions due to their tireless unearthing of evidence.
Now, however, Bailey says the groups have grown so much in popularity that it has led to chaos.
Police departments get so many calls about a given case because of the surge in social media attention that it can lead them down the wrong path or take up precious time that they could spend conducting a meticulous investigation. In that time, the actual offender could potentially conceal themselves, while innocent people are sometimes victimized.
