Cops admit they will need to work with paedophile vigilantes after helped snare HALF of all child-groomers last year
COPS have admitted they may have to start working with paedophile hunters after the vigilantes' evidence is increasingly being used in court.
Senior officers have previously said groups such as Dark Justice or The Hunted One could put child abuse investigations at risk.
But figures obtained by the BBC show that in 2016 more than 44 per cent of cases of the crime of meeting a child following sexual grooming used evidence obtained by paedophile hunters.
It leapt from just 11 per cent in 2014.
Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the national lead for child protection at the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "These vigilante groups are putting the lives of children at risk.
"I'm not going to condone these groups and I would encourage them all to stop, but I recognise that I am not winning that conversation.
"I think (working with vigilantes) is something we're going to have to potentially have to look at, yes, but it comes with some real complexity."
A sting operation by a group known as The Hunted One descended into violence as they ambushed a man who sent sexual messages to a decoy account.
Their target, Mirza Beg, 29, was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court in August for 40 months after he turned up with condoms at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Greenhithe, near Dartford, Kent, believing he was meeting a 14-year-old girl.
Guardians Of North are also prolific paedophile hunters.
One of their stings saw pervert Praju Prasad fall to his knees and beg for mercy after he was confronted waiting for what he believed was a 12-year-old girl.
Southampton-based paedophile hunter Stephen Dure, known as Stevie Trap, said: "I think it's great and just the idea they're thinking about it excites me.
"I really look forward to it and hope it happens in the future, I would be very willing to work with the police."
Jeff Cuthbert said he wanted to hire them as special constables so they can make arrests.
You can see more on this story on Inside Out on BBC One in the South at 19:30 BST on Monday.
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