Police warn about ‘misinformation’ as group films itself patrolling streets

Northants Police warn about misinformation as ‘Corby Guard’ film themselves patrolling in the town and approaching Afghan men

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By Sarah Ward

Corby Guard’s Reece McCarron.

Northants Police has warned about misinformation in response to a social media video posted by a new patrol group that has taken to Corby streets.

Thai boxing enthusiast Reece McCarron, who has acknowledged being behind the hoisting of a number of union flags on lampposts across the town, has posted a video on TikTok showing him and others questioning two men in a Corby park at the weekend. The men he is questioning say they are from Afghanistan.

McCarron’s gang question whether the men have ID and one member of ‘Corby Guard’ incorrectly interprets the men saying they are staying at a Corby hotel. The misleading video has been shared in various social media pages across the town.

McCarron says he has set up the group in response to a video another resident has posted claiming that a young girl was approached by a man outside a Corby supermarket who said he was ‘going to take her home’. Northants Police say this incident has not been reported to them but they are seeking more information.

The force said:

“We are aware of the ‘patrol group’ activity that has been taking place in Corby in which individuals have been approached and asked questions about their immigration status, and police officers have been deployed to the area to speak to those concerned as well as provide reassurance to local residents.

“We are looking into concerns regarding a man allegedly approaching a girl on her way from school and although we have not yet found any report to us of this nature, we are in the process of approaching one person who may have information and would appeal to anyone else who may have information about it to contact us.

“We would also like to discourage people from attending any location based on speculation as there is a lot of misinformation going around.

“At the present time, we have not identified any offences in relation to this activity but would encourage people with concerns to come forward, either by calling us on 101, reporting it to us online at www.northants.police.uk/ro, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

“We would also encourage anyone with concerns about any crime that may have been committed to contact us directly as opposed to engaging in any ‘patrol group’ activity or speculating on social media.

“This allows us to respond in the best way possible, ensure misinformation doesn’t spread, and keep our local communities in Northamptonshire safe.”

NN Journal has spoken to Reece McCarron, who said the reason he started the group was because of a ‘white, legal, European’ not because of an ‘illegal’.

He said:

“This has nothing to do with only illegal immigration, for example, where we met yesterday I seen [sic] an old man and his dog got out of his hands and I caught it at the boating lake and I returned it back to the man.

“It is a community public service. A non profit organisation from the people, making sure that everything is alright. If I see a white British man stealing tools from somebody’s van, he will get treated the same and the police would be called and everything would be done properly.”

He continued: “There was no violence, no threatening behaviour at all.”

We asked him if there was a link between his hashtag #putbritishfirst and far right group Britain First and he said he did not know who the group were.

Paul Crofts, a member of the Northamptonshire Race Equality Council, said the actions were a direct response to Reform UK and Labour's hostility to asylum seekers and called it ‘creeping fascism’.