Exploring Practitioner Attitudes of ‘Paedophile Hunting’ Groups

‘Paedophile Hunters’: Practitioner Perspectives

“…The result is often intensified law and regulation, prompted by public opinion and media campaigns (Kemshall and Maguire, 2001; Williams, 2015). The implications of action by paedophile hunting groups (and public notification) have been highlighted as more detrimental than they are constructive and there is clear recognition that on balance, the problematic nature of paedophile hunting activity outweighs the capability it has to formalise itself as a legitimate public protection or risk management entity (Frampton., 2021).…”

“…Public preoccupation with sexual offenders is not new, it has been at the forefront of social and political debate for many years (Frampton, 2021). What is more recent, with the emergence and prevalence of access to information via online sources, is the developing phenomena of ‘paedophile hunters’.…”

“…Their objective, which has its basis firmly within grass roots naming and shaming, is not new. Their tactics, primarily the use of social media, which is as far reaching as a medium of communication can be, begins to add an edge to this online activity, which permeates a far greater audience than has been seen before (Frampton, 2021).…”

“…Naming and shaming offenders online allows members of the public to join with more traditional media sources to challenge perceived inadequate responses by the criminal justice system (Powell, 2015) and call for offenders to be held to account (Dunsby and Howes, 2019). One of the most significant issues with this topic is the vast number of terms that are used interchangeably to describe the same thing (Frampton, 2021). Paedophile hunters, digital vigilantes, cyberactivists, Online Child Abuse Activist Group (OCAG) and digilantes are all terms used to refer to the same type of activity.…”

“…This article presents research data which allows for an increased understanding of practitioner's perspectives of paedophile hunting activity. The data presented in this article was collected as part of a larger mixed-methods research design, submitted in fulfilment of a doctoral degree (Frampton, 2021). The article outlines practitioners' views of paedophile hunting activity, in their own words, and from their own perspectives.…”