Surrey 'Creep Catchers' claims RCMP officer caught in sting

A vigilante, pedophile-hunting group in Surrey B.C. claims to have caught an RCMP officer outside a local shopping mall as he met one of its decoys posing as a 14-year-old girl.

The incident is also notable as the group broadcast video of the confrontation live on Facebook, and the video was viewed more than 17,000 times as of Friday afternoon.

Police confirm they are investigating the incident — just days after warning the public to stop trying to flush out child predators on its own.

So far, RCMP will only confirm they are actively investigating an incident near Central City Mall on Sept. 7 at 10 p.m. PT. 

There was no confirmation whether the man in the video is a police officer.

"We are also mindful of allegations that the matter involves a police officer. While a number of people have been identified, this remains a fluid investigation, and no one is in custody, and currently, no charges have been laid," said an email from Surrey RCMP.

"We can confirm we are taking this seriously," said the email, promising an update later today.

RCMP denounce 'vigilantes'

The video shows an unidentified man standing next to a female before he is confronted . There's no context before the confrontation to be able to discern exactly what is happening.

The unidentified man is named several times by the people videotaping him. They then chase a man they allege is a police officer. CBC is not linking to or displaying the video until the facts are confirmed.

Pedophile hunting is a growing trend across North America, and especially in Britain.

Members of Surrey Creep Catchers pose as underage girls online with the aim of confronting men who attempt to meet up with the girls for sex. After sharing some messages, they arrange to meet in public locations.

Members are part of a cross-country network. Some keep their faces hidden under Anonymous-style masks.

"The RCMP does not condone this activity, nor do we recommend the activity. We believe it only increases the risk to the public," said Insp. Tyler Svendson told CBC earlier this week.

Svendson alleges no successful charges or convictions have ever come out of these efforts in Canada.

Some high profile cases have led to arrests in the U.K., where officers have officially denounced pedophile hunters, but do follow up on some of their leads.

The Surrey, B.C., group has vowed to keep hunting, despite warnings that their amateur stings might scuttle arrests.

"We're not trying necessarily to have everyone arrested. It would be great, but I would rather have their faces out there for good," said Ryan Laforge, president of the Surrey chapter.

The Incident

The video posted on Facebook seems to show a group approaching a man talking to a woman.

The man has a grin on his face, until he is confronted by someone behind the camera.

"Officer D-- ... Creep Catchers."

The alleged target ducks his head, throws on a hood as he runs away muttering, "f--k man."

Then chaos breaks out.

Everybody runs after the man, with one man behind the camera shouting.

"Surrey Creep Catchers. That guy is a cop pedo! That guy is an RCMP pedo!"

"Did you get his face? Ya we got his f--king face."

The group then films what it says is the man's truck. There is no further confrontation.

'Dangerous territory'

B.C.'s Public Safety Minister Mike Morris called Creep Catchers "vigilantes," and offered a veiled warning for members involved in posting a video and naming a specific RCMP officer.

"I know the RCMP are diligently investigating all leads on that particular one, and I'm just going to let them deal with the media on that particular issue," he said.

"But what I will say about Creep Catchers and all those types of activities ... They are treading in some pretty dangerous territory. I see it as a form of vigilantism, and I think that's best left to the police."

As for the specific incident, he did not say much, but seemed to hint there might have been a mistake made.

"You talk about mistaken identity. You talk about mistaking some of the information that might get interpreted differently. These people are not only putting their own safety at risk, but perhaps, they might even be involved in unwittingly committing a crime as well," Morris told CBC in an interview Friday morning.