Mounties are reminding the public about the dangers of vigilantism after a sting by the Surrey Creep Catchers ended in a car crash this week.
The group, whose goal is to publicly expose sexual predators, confronted a man who allegedly tried to arrange a rendezvous with a 14-year-old boy in a parking lot Monday afternoon.
But the target took off when he saw Creep Catchers approaching and drove right into a pickup truck, members told CTV News.
"It went a little awry,” said Ryan Laforge, founder of the Surrey chapter of Creep Catchers. “I stuck a camera in his face and he throws it in reverse with his door open, hits the parked truck beside him, almost hits us with the door.”
There were dents in the pickup after the incident, but it’s unclear whether they were caused during the confrontation.
Fortunately, no one was injured, but Surrey RCMP warned that attempted vigilantism can pose serious risks to everyone involved. Creep Catchers’ activities can also potentially hinder, rather than help ongoing efforts to put sex offenders behind bars, Cpl. Scotty Schumann said.
“Sex related crimes require complex investigations done in a controlled environment. Special training and tactics are used by investigators to ensure a legally sound Report to Crown Counsel,” Schumann told CTV News in an email.
“This is the best way to get dangerous offenders off our streets. None of this is possible if the police are not contacted in the first instance to report the alleged offence.”
But despite oft-repeated concerns from actual law enforcement, the Creep Catchers’ activities have seen plenty of encouragement on social media.
Laforge claims he’s also spoken with police officers who support his efforts, and he simply disregards the others who discourage them.
“We don’t stop, we don’t sleep, we don’t listen to things like that,” he said. “It shows why all of our followers are saying, you know, what are the cops doing?”
