How do sting operations work?
Sting operations have become an increasingly effective method for stopping online predators and are exceptionally effective at catching online sexual predators. Sting operations are usually carried out by law enforcement officers, but independent groups who work closely with police may assist the operation. Typically, the sting operation will begin with an operative pretending to be a young child online. They then make “decoy” profiles on various chatrooms and social media platforms, and provide personal information such as age, gender, location, and state that they wish to make friends. When the account receives a message, the operative will begin to engage in conversation over a long period of time with potential predators. This rapport leads a predator to believe they are indeed talking with a real child and they may begin to send signals of sexual intent in the form of lewd messages, sexual images, or a request to meet the child in person. Once a date and location are agreed upon, the information is passed onto law enforcement along with chat logs and any other relevant information about the suspected predator. When the sting operation is carried out, the predator is confronted, questioned, and subsequently arrested. The chat logs and recordings of the arrest are then used in legal proceedings as incriminating evidence to convict the predator (Belling, no date).
Why use sting operations?
Law enforcement uses sting operations as their ability to proactively hunt online predators in an effective way that frequently leads to a conviction. Without these operations, law enforcement must wait for a victim or a victim’s parents to come forward and report that a sexual predator has successfully sexually abused a victim. This will then begin a process of investigation in which evidence is collected against the suspect in a lengthy process to present charges. This process is ultimately dependant on the victim who, for numerous reasons, may prove to be a poor witness. In turn, this could hinder the chances of a conviction. The lack of convictions and lengthy processes involved have emphasised the importance of proactively hunting online predators before they have a chance to victimize a child (Belling, no date).
The independent paedophile hunters
As mentioned earlier, independent groups known as “paedophile hunters” exist and sometimes work with law enforcement. However, their work is not always positive and can potentially hinder existing investigations. In 2019 Assistant Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic was quoted saying some paedophile hunters were “perpetrating offences including extortion, blackmail and exhibiting violence against those that they are targeting” and that “some of those prosecutions may have diverted police resources from more significant offenders,” (BBC, 2019). Similarly, in 2016, Jim Gamble the former head of the Home Office Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP) warned that vigilantes persuade paedophiles to travel to meetings could put the public in danger, and that that if they were traveling in the expectation of assaulting a child and go to the wrong place, they might attack someone else (Booth, 2016). It is this history of behaviour that gives these groups the title of “vigilantes,” along with their potential to cause more harm than good that forces police to take this stance. This does not discourage these groups however, as they continue to hunt online predators and bring them to the attention of law enforcement.
Bibliography
BBC News. 2019. Police concerns over rise of 'paedophile hunters'. [Online]. [Accessed 3 March 2021]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50302912
Belling, T. [no date]. Online Sexual Predator Stings. CaseLaw4Cops.net. [Online]. [Accessed 3 March 2021]. Available from: https://caselaw4cops.net/articles/predator.html#_ednref3
Booth, R. 2016. Four paedophiles convicted after sting operations by vigilantes. The Guardian. [Online]. 6 November. [Accessed 3 March 2021]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/28/four-paedophiles-convicted-sting-operations-vigilantes
Comments