A MAN from Westbury who allegedly arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex and sent indecent images of himself has been arrested after being caught out by a so-called paedophile hunter.

The 30-year-old was arrested by police yesterday (February 15) and taken to custody in Melksham but has since been released under investigation.

Officers arrested the man after police were contacted by the so-called paedophile hunter group Net Justice.

Wiltshire Police has since warned paedophile hunters of the danger they may be exposing themselves to.

National Policing Lead on Child Abuse Investigation Chief Constable Simon Bailey said: “The police service is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse in all its forms.

“We have invested in more undercover resources and other covert resources to catch those seeking to groom children online and we are already starting to see more of these offenders being brought to justice.

“We understand the desire to protect children but any member of the public who has information about child sexual abuse, online or otherwise, should get in contact with the police so we can investigate and bring people to justice.

"So-called paedophile hunters are taking risks they don’t understand and can undermine police investigations.

“Revealing the identity of suspected paedophiles gives the suspect the opportunity to destroy evidence before the police can investigate them. It can jeopardise ongoing police investigations and these people have no way of safeguarding child victims.

"It also leads to people who have been identified going missing or raising concerns for their safety. This can divert significant resources into protecting suspects, which would be better invested in investigating and, where there is evidence, prosecuting them.

“There is also the risk of wrongly accusing someone - if someone is wrongly accused of being a paedophile in a hugely public way that makes people who live with them, live near them, work with them assume they have committed the offence.

"The temptation to kill themselves may be just as great even if they are innocent, that is an appalling consequence to contemplate.

“If any member of the public has concerns about online grooming, they should report them to their local police, to CEOP at www.ceop.police.uk, or to Crimestoppers. If you think a child is at immediate risk of harm call 999”.