To think Dark Justice/Guardians of the North are a bit strange?

[BlueNeighbourhood]

Okay,

So as per a previous post I work in recruitment and when registering candidates we ask for criminal convictions. Because we live where Guardians of the North operate (Newcastle), I've had two people in the past week who have been caught out by them apparently talking to and agreeing to meet underaged children for sex.

I'm not 100% sure why I think it's a strange thing, because at the end of the day they're saving children from harm. But it's the vigilante element of it, they're having to pose as children and are basically luring men into talking to them.
We were discussing it at work, and a colleague said 'They can literally knock on someone's door with a video camera and say "were here because you've been propositioning someone for sex" and it goes online'.

I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on it, in our office, the four of us in my department can't quite put our finger on it but think it's a very strange concept - basically taking over from police.

I'd be more worried at the number of paedophiles you seem to be interviewing

The police themselves are doing Sod all, the government is involved I will be huge cover ups, there are public paedophile groups on twitter and YouTube. Thank God there are still ordinary people who care about this scourge enough to do something.

in huge cover ups.

It was on the radio that the group's don't want to work directly with the police, as if they do there would be a load of red tape and they'd not be able to do as they are doing.

I used to be very bothered about this seeing it as a thin end of a wedge of vigilantism.

Someone I knew through my dc got caught. I've seen all the logs.
'They' posed as an inexperienced vulnerable and at times scared 14 yr old girl just attention seeking who knew very little.
All the suggesting and yucky graphic stuff was from him, including how to deceive 'her' parent.

I assumed these men must have these 'conversations' when they had nothing else to do. Far from it. He'd been initiating them in the middle of activities with others and the times meant they could now see how they'd been part of his 'game' and knew why he's been so excited.

He'd been dropping in an 'alibi' and tried to use them as witnesses.
Then semi stalked them racking up the pressure that they were about to wrongly let him be destroyed.

Then tried using my dc to get to the others, while asking after me to show how 'normal' and open everything was.
(Big mistake - my dc came to me for help, but the others who'd done absolutely nothing wrong were too ashamed or worried to tell their parents.)

There'd been lots of very nasty misogynistic stuff all hidden behind 'trust me boys I'm older and wiser than you and this is what women are like' drip fed.
Now it became 'men need to stick together, being set up and false accusations could happen to you.' They'd also been groomed, to defend him.

It's had a profound effect on them with one suffering depression, and one struggling over was he letting down an innocent 'friend' at the worst time.
All worry that he's named them in police interviews as his friends who knew the 'truth' but were to scared to come forward and that they're now all linked by police intelligence to a 'nonce.'

I know someone who does this, he wants to be famous.

When Stinson Hunter was doing it it didn't bother me and I thought it was a good idea but when I found out the person I know was doing it, it made me really uncomfortable.

I don't really want to go into details as he would be recognisable but Jesus Christ, vigilantes shouldn't want him as their poster child - he's a crook.

CaptainMarvelDanvers A few people who run these groups have criminal records themselves, throughout the pass couple of days I have been watching some groups videos on YouTube and I've thought to myself how are these groups still up and running.

It's difficult. Sometimes it takes dodgy people to catch dodgy people. In the old days half the flying squad were very dodgy unpleasant people who resorted to all sorts.and often not for good motives.

The person I know's details seem to have been passed to one of these groups by people who knew about him and that he was able to pass a DBS check..
He'd moved and immersed himself in a new life surrounded by v.young adults in a role that would give him potential access to children.

According to a site it's the second time he's gone after the bait. Hopefully it's resulted in a conviction baring him from a position of trust.

The people who've snared him don't seem lovely either but they've stayed within law and done something the police can't, so they now can get a conviction.
If the police had done this it would be state entrapment.

This sort of stuff used to be agreements between coppers and criminals used to get criminals off other stuff. It made corruption part of policing.
I'd rather it was were it can be seen and questioned, and contained by rules.

It's a really good set up and organised professionally, they are not a crime organisation nor do they inflict violence on anyone, because of them there is loads of sex offenders of the streets.

They have there own Facebook page.

Not keen on vigilantes, it is unregulated and though catching paedophiles is good thing, I feel uncomfortable about the guy with learning disabilities whose child has died, the site he went on was an adult site with a profile of a 19 year old who later said she was 14, definitely one step further in entrapment

They have set up in Northern Ireland and a man they confronted killed himself a few days later. Crosses a line for me. What's the difference in this and paramilitaries kneecapping teenagers for drug dealing and stealing cars. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

I completely understand the frustration at the Police for not doing enough but where does it end?

OP, is it not making you feel more uncomfortable that there is such a widespread need for these monsters to be caught and our government isn't stepping in to help?

I don't know if I am speaking from a place of bias- I had a very chaotic home life as a child, as did most of the children who I engaged with, it was a fairly normal occurrence for children and teenagers to have been assaulted in that way, at some point. It wasn't only once that I happened to be in the clutches of these types of men throughout childhood, also as a teen, there were SO MANY men trying to meet children for sex. It scares the life out of me that as a pre teen/teenager I was approached by so many men.

It's a problem and there needs to be some sort of fear. I'd much prefer these sad bastards get caught out than being able to roam free raping children.

In my opinion, they do not follow any official guidelines or regulations that the police force follows. They take pictures of assumed pedophiles and take videos of them without their permission. Yes i see all the good they have done in society but they do not really use decoys in the meetings so that they can actually prove that the alleged pedophile would actually commit such act. Further , if that person is convicted then why publish their face name and details? i mean isnt that their purpose ? Convict the guilty ? And even if the person is assumed innocent then why again publish their details on youtube and facebook. Clickbaits maybe? Fame?money? I do not know.

Hi members these groups are going on 18+ sites and apps where young people aint aupposed to access and this is why the Beaware group is pushing local politicans to make it law that all apps and sites have a 18+ age vertifier Why cant they not go on kids chatrooms etc and not adult dating apps with false information and yes that is ENTRAPMENT and thats whats happening we have a lot of unsafe places in our communites where these groups can help but they shouldnt be going on adult sites and encouraging people. We Say stop been wannabe superheo's and help the police where its needed in the community or kids apps and sites

The majority of these groups are knuckle dragging meatheads who enjoy the drama of the confrontation and the attention. If they actually cared about the children they'd just pass their evidence to the police instead of plastering it all over Facebook.

It’s wrong, full stop.

The police should be properly funded, full stop.

My best friend is a police officer working in this type of crime and he says these groups generally cause far more damage than they prevent.

It's not entrapment when acting as a supposed minor on social media to catch paedophiles; police officers do it as a specialised job. Nevertheless, police cuts are all over the place.

Let's be clear child abuse is disgusting. But, I do worry about the mental health of people doing this - why would you want to pretend to be underage and have these disgusting messages sent to you as a hobby. Genuine question - how would anybody here feel if their DH/ DP / brother /son got really involved in the hunting groups. Would you consider it to be the same as any other hobby , ( swimming, cycling etc). It would just creep me out tbh

yes it is if they signing up on 18+ apps and agreeing the terms and conditions then making fake accounts faking to be children and entraping people. If they where going on teenchat rooms and where kids hangout fine but on 18 apps No sorry ENTAPMENT FULL STOP!!