Cyber-Stings: Policing Sex Offences on the Internet

Abstract

The use of proactive police tactics on the Internet has increased in recent years but little has been written about the propriety of such operations. This article considers the type of operations that occur and considers the propriety of such action, including examining the evidential rules relating to entrapment. It also examines how the media uses similar tactics in order to obtain news stories and yet questions can be raised as to whether this interferes with the workings of the criminal justice system.