Should we be accepting these behaviours?

I thought loitering was an offence

Or female, too

Essex police warn not to publish his photo, but here it is anyway.

This is vigilantism.

You've all lost the way.

Loitering with intent to commit a criminal offence BlueBelle, not just loitering. I’m sure we all loiter from time to time.

Iam64

I understand no crime has been committed but, I wouldn’t want him hanging round my grandchildren’s schools. Many a man with a sexual interest in children will find a way to be close to them. Grooming in plain sight?

Yes, it's astonishing that the police say there is no risk and are not taking any action.

Initially, photos of the man dressed in a girl's uniform standing outside a local primary school in Leigh, Essex had been doing the rounds on social media pages. Now police have urged people to stop sharing them.

Yet concerned parents and carers have been asked to stop circulating photos which could act as a warning to others.

It really does beggar belief.

Vigilantism.

volver

Essex police warn not to publish his photo, but here it is anyway.

This is vigilantism.

You've all lost the way.

No, it's not us who have lost the way.

Yes it is.

As we have a legal person on the thread, they might want to explain why we have a legal system and don't rely on the mob to decide what to do about people they don't like the look of.

I would have thought this might be conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, i.e. he is likely to be attacked. It always seems difficult for anyone to act if nothing has actually happened. I used to have a customer who was a schizophrenic. If she stopped taking her meds she used to become very violent and abusive but she couldn't be sectioned unless she attacked someone. As it was she was as much a danger to herself as she was to others.

Man dressed as a 10 year old schoolgirl hanging around outside a primary and nursery school is sufficiently disturbing for police to be called and for parents and carers to warn others this is happening.

Hithere

A male around a school just because - red flag despite what he wears

Yes.

In other areas (including ours) when men have been reported loitering near schools the local police have taken to Facebook themselves to alert parents and carers.

Maybe he is a harmless nutter. It is the ones who are dangerous you don't always notice.

We have a legal system which hasn’t made it a crime for a man to dress as a schoolgirl or to hang around outside a school so dressed unless there is evidence that he intends to commit a criminal offence. The police have spoken to him and don’t consider him a danger. Of course they would have been called as it is worrying to parents. He will attract attention from the mob and that’s why the police have asked for his photo not to be circulated - they are trying to prevent an attack. Do we want to live in a country where people who probably aren’t the full shilling, who haven’t actually committed a crime and there is no evidence they are intending to do so, are spirited away by the police? China and Russia spring to mind.

AGAA4

Maybe he is a harmless nutter. It is the ones who are dangerous you don't always notice.

True.

Oh dear, that's disturbing. Perhaps it's innocent if he has a learning disability and thinks it's like playing dressing up- he needs to have a few things explained to him about what's appropriate.

Of course not GSM

But there is a world of difference between someone being warned not to loiter around a school causing concern to parents, children and staff and police ensuring he does not do this again and someone being spirited away and disappeared by the police.

Other police forces seem to manage to handle these kinds of incidents more proactively.

Other police forces seem to manage to handle these kinds of incidents more proactively.

Evidence?

volver

Essex police warn not to publish his photo, but here it is anyway.

This is vigilantism.

You've all lost the way.

The photo was published in the local paper, was that irresponsible, vigilantism or informative?

They cannot ensure he does not do this again Calli. He hasn’t committed an offence and the police are satisfied that he doesn’t intend to. I know you don’t like what he does and nor do I but I place weight on the police having spoken to him and taken an informed view. They possess more knowledge about him than we do.

The first two.

That was in answer to GG13's question.

Devil's advocate - perhaps he is mentally ill but harmless. Perhaps, if he is dressing up in a school uniform he's back in the mind of an 8 year old and just wants to go to see his friends in school.

He may not be committing an offence but he is being a nuisance which is worrying for parents.
When my children were at primary school and an unknown person (usually male) was hanging around the school gate. They were questioned by parents who quickly told them to move on if they had no good reason to be there. Parents were always backed up by the headmaster.
Our police station was closed down and the security was tightened up at the senior school ten minutes walk away. To deter the likes of drug pushers from hanging around the school premises. It's not good enough that we have to tolerate perverts doing what they want. The lack of police presence just makes it worse.

volver

The first two.

Isn’t it a good thing that parents and children are aware of this man so that they can avoid him?

Germanshepherdsmum

They cannot ensure he does not do this again Calli. He hasn’t committed an offence and the police are satisfied that he doesn’t intend to. I know you don’t like what he does and nor do I but I place weight on the police having spoken to him and taken an informed view. They possess more knowledge about him than we do.

It isn't just the once though, GSM

it's more than one school and a few times.

Poor man probably needs help but I am more concerned about children than a man's rights to wear little girls' uniforms and hang around outside schools.

If he does keep on doing it then, yes, parents might move him on themselves.