Crackdown on web gang 'grooming'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/norfolk/7779187.stm

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A crackdown is under way in Norfolk targeting criminals who groom young people into gangs using the internet.

Ian McPherson, the county's chief constable, said they had collected evidence on the activities of three gangs operating in Norwich.

Officers had discovered the gangs used intimidation to discipline recruits.

Mr McPherson, the Association of Chief Police Officers' spokesman on children and young people, said parents would be shocked by the extent of the problem.

The gangs carried out crime and used weapons to "increase their fear factor" against teenagers who may have been recruited inadvertently on websites, he said.

"We were worried that some of the young people were being groomed by the more criminal element and pressured by their peers.

The message to gang members is simply this - we know who you are, we know what you do and we know where you operate. Ian McPherson

"Those not familiar with gang culture would be shocked by the evidence we have gathered over recent months."

Mr McPherson said gangs had gathered many hundreds of associates using internet websites.

They use the internet to talk in a "distinct street language, boast about their relationships and sexuality, post videos of mindless acts and display provocative images, including weapons and cannabis plants", he said.

"What is really worrying is that many young people are being inadvertently drawn into associating with gang members without knowing they are doing so."

Mr McPherson said officers built up a dossier over recent months on three well-known gangs operating in Norwich.

Police have used anti-social behaviour orders, dispersal orders and stop-and-search powers to tackle the problem.

High profile patrols in areas where gangs meet have also been carried out.

Mr McPherson said officers would continue to crack down on the problem and would not tolerate any kind of gang criminality or anti-social behaviour.

"The message to gang members is simply this - we know who you are, we know what you do and we know where you operate," he said.