Police Find 200 Gang Children on Internet Violence and Drugs Evidence on Social Networking Sites

By GERRY BRAIDEN

ALMOST 200 children, some as young as 12, have been questioned by police about gang violence and antisocial behaviour after Scotland’s first major investigation into internet social networking sites.

Officers from Central Scotland Police went to the homes of 182 youngsters after tracking them down through images and messages posted on sites such as Bebo.

Describing the action as “intrusive and robust”, police said they uncovered evidence of serious assaults, drug dealing, alcohol abuse, possession of weapons, racism, and sectarianism.

Several of those questioned have been reported to the procurator- fiscal for offences including assault, theft, and breaking bail, while 72 have been reported to social work departments in Stirling, Falkirk, and Clackmannanshire, and to the Children’s Panel, as being potentially at risk.

Officers identified the youngsters, aged 12 to 18, from photographs and videos on sites.

Details of the operation, carried out over the past few weeks with the assistance of the local authorities and health board, came as one MSP, Labour’s Bill Butler, called for the tighter regulation of social networking site Facebook following claims it was flooded with sectarian messages.

Assistant Chief Constable Derek Penman singled out Bebo, claiming social networking sites “were acting as a conduit for a range of behaviour which was extremely concerning”.

He added: “When we started looking, what became clear was that young people aged from very early teens through to late teens and young adulthood were involved in open displays of aggression and other unacceptable behaviour, apparently fuelled by drink in many cases.

“Our key priority is to preserve community safety and to enhance child safety in the Forth Valley, so we decided to take this intrusive and robust but balanced course of action “A total of 182 young people were interviewed by officers about their online activity, in the presence of their parents or guardians. In many cases, the parent or guardian was simply unaware of their child’s use of social networking in this way and reaction ranged from shock to disgust.

“In some cases, sites were accessed in the presence of police officers and immediate access to the internet or the computer was withdrawn.”

Central Scotland Police will monitor the situation over the coming weeks and further visits to the homes of young people involved are planned. Social services will conduct follow-up visits to the families of all those questioned.

It is understood many of those involved are engaged in violence between Forth Valley towns and villages.

Graham Lambie, spokesman for children’s services at Stirling Council, said: ” This operation highlights the need for parents to be vigilant about their children’s use of the internet and in particular social networking websites such as Bebo.”

A spokesman for the Crown Office and procurator-fiscal service said: “We have worked with partners in the criminal justice community and elsewhere Those involved in committing crime can be expected to be reported to the procurator-fiscal, and in conjunction with the reporter to the Children’s Panel, appropriate action will be taken.”

A Bebo spokesman said: “Unfortunately, antisocial behaviour is an aspect of the society we live in. Bebo has strict terms of use which users agree to at the point of registration “Content that contravenes those terms is immediately suspended and investigated. We educate our users to be responsible and to understand that activity creates a digital record of behaviour which, should it breach our terms, can be used to assist law enforcement if required.”

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

(c) 2008 Herald, The; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.