Police warn against youths' self-styled «predator hunting» videos on social media
In a video circulating on social media, three young people posed online as a 15-year-old girl, met a man and called the police. The State Police say such vigilantism can hamper investigations and let offenders escape punishment.
A video has gained popularity on social media in Latvia in which three adult young people posed as a 15-year-old girl on a dating site, arranged a meeting with a man and then confronted him. The State Police (VP) told the portal Delfi that such amateur actions can obstruct the investigation of possible offences and may leave guilty persons unpunished.
What the video shows
The footage shows the youths arriving at the agreed place to meet a man who believed he had been chatting with a minor. They ask him why he wanted to meet such a young girl and demand that he explain his behaviour. At the start of the video they also claim to be carrying weapons and point to a wrench they brought along. They later called the police to the scene.
The police position
The VP says that investigating crimes and detaining perpetrators is the job of the police. A private individual is obliged to report a known crime, but may not provoke another person into committing one. The police acknowledge that the youths' wish to publish such videos is understandable, but stress that independently organised exposure can harm the subsequent investigation. According to the VP, information about suspected offences is often not given to law enforcement at all, but posted on social media instead. Residents are urged to call 112.
The police could not say whether any proceedings have begun, as the man could not be identified from the available material. A VP representative said an internal departmental check had possibly been launched. Because the youths are adults, the man might not face criminal liability, although that depends on the content of the messages, his conduct and other details of the case.
Similar cases abroad
CNN reports that similar videos have spread in the United States, where so-called predator hunters pose online as minors and publicly confront adults who turn up to meet them. The format was popularised by the US television programme To Catch a Predator. Experts say these activities do not always lead to offenders being held accountable, sometimes end in violence and can complicate investigations. In 2023 in North Carolina, a co-founder of the group Dads Against Predators was shot in the leg, and in 2025 in New York State a content creator was stabbed and then faced criminal charges himself.
