Timmins police warn against 'creep catching'

Timmins police are warning people not to engage in "creep catching" a form of vigilantism in which people lure suspected pedophiles out in public to shame, embarrass or attack them.

According to police, citizens who engage in the activity which has been popularizedby such American television shows asTo Catch a Predator post messages and photos on social mediaposing, in many cases, as a teenage girl.

After contact is made,the "creep" is then luredinto public, presumably to "forward a romantic agenda," police said.

Once in public, they are then confronted by the vigilante.

Police said "creep catching" is inherently unsafe, as the person's reaction may be completely unpredictable.

The police also said that if the person who is "caught" is eventually charged with a crime, policemay face significant "legal and evidentiary hurdles".

Police say while "creep catching" is not technically illegal, they do not endorse or condone in it any way.

They remind the pubic that they do have an e-crime team that actively investigatesillegal activity over the internet.