A video shot by a controversial group allegedly showing an RCMP officer meeting an underage girl is making the rounds online and being investigated by Surrey Mounties.
The Surrey Creep Catchers, who shot and streamed the encounter live on Facebook Wednesday night, claim the man in the video is an RCMP officer.
Creep Catchers is a network of people who bait people arranging to meet juveniles and confront them in person, all with the cameras rolling.
The RCMP have confirmed they are investigating the filmmakers and the alleged suspect. The man in the video has not been identified.
Surrey RCMP said in a statement to CKNW they are “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.”
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B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Mike Morris said the group doesn’t “know what kinds of undercover operations, what kinds of investigations are already underway by the police. And the fact they would intervene in one of those situations by doing what they do could jeopardize the investigation.”
WATCH BELOW: Video shot by the Surrey Creep Catchers allegedly showing an RCMP officer meeting an underage girl.
Ryan LaForge, president of Surrey Creep Catchers, said they travel all over Metro Vancouver trying to catch people who are looking to illicitly meet underage kids, as young as 13. A Surrey Creep Catcher will chat with these people online, at first saying he is over 18 and then admitting he is underage, just to see which ones will take the bait.
The group has come under fire for an incident in Kelowna last month.
According to Jane Dyson of Disabilities Alliance BC, the man shown in one of the videos said he has the mental capacity of a 12-year-old. The man’s social worker was also critical saying, they were “out of bounds” and that organizations like Creep Catchers need to be more sensitive to the fact they might be dealing with people with mental health issues.
Canadian law enforcement agencies have also called on the group to let police investigate potential criminal cases.
~ with files from CKNW, Dallas Dippel, Nadia Stewart and Jill Slattery.