Declaring "one for all, and all for one", the motto of Sweden and a saying commonly associated with the Three Musketeers the new 'Dusseldorf is Watching' group already had 2,300 members after it was launched on Facebook last night. The group intends to provide protection at major events and in city centres at weekends to ensure the safety of their fellow Germans, reports the Rheinische Post.

While the desire to "protect our ladies future" appears sincere the group has already come under attack not only by police who maintain law enforcement should remain firmly their own responsibility, but also by the press who have labelled the group "absurd" and criticised it for including members of biker gangs.

A spokesman for Dusseldorf police told local media of the emergence of the vigilante group: "for public security in Germany the police are responsible… deliberately searching for offenders is not a job for the citizen". He added the police had no problem with individuals acting courageously when confronted with crime, but they were against "self proclaimed vigilantes".