Anyone arranging dates on apps should exercise caution and meet in public places after three alleged assaults in Canberra after men were lured through dates arranged on a gay dating app, the Chief Minister has said.
Andrew Barr also called on dating app operators to do more to protect users and said a holistic solution to protect app users was needed at the Commonwealth level.
The Chief Minister said the ACT government hoped Grindr, the gay dating app alleged to be used during the assaults, would issue a warning to users in Canberra.
"A change in police response that I've seen in my lifetime is that incidents like this were frequent occurrences in Australia, particular in the 1980s and '90s, and were largely ignored by police," Mr Barr said.
"What we are seeing now in 2024 is ACT police are getting on the front foot on this matter, devoting significant resources to bringing these individuals who, from all the public reports, are a bunch of very insecure and cowardly men who are luring unsuspecting victims to be physically assaulted on the basis of their sexuality.
"It is unacceptable behaviour."
Mr Barr said the ACT government had been working with the police to bring those involved in the alleged assaults to justice.
"In light of now three instances, we are also advising community members, anyone who's using any of the dating apps just to be careful that you are going to meet, meet in a public place," he said.
Police on Friday revealed they were investigating a third incident where a man was allegedly assaulted after he was lured to a location using a dating app used by gay men.
Around 4am on Saturday, July 20, a man arrived at an address on Investigator Street in Red Hill where he was allegedly assaulted by a group of between five to eight people disguised by face coverings.
This incident followed on another, involving what police believe is the same group of offenders, which occurred on the same night at the same location in Red Hill. The victim was able to escape but was pursued on foot to Discovery Street, where he had to fight off the group again.
Police have urged people who are meeting face-to-face for the first time via dating apps to meet in a public place, such as a café, restaurant or shopping centre.
Mr Barr said Grindr should help police by sharing the information the company held about the profiles and devices used, as well as any geolocation information.
"I hope Grindr are cooperating with police. That's the indication that that I've received," he said on the sidelines of the ACT Labor conference on Saturday.
