Social media behind crime rise, says Govt

Home Secretary Amber Rudd (pictured) has slammed social-media sites for “facilitating” a rise in violent crime, saying they must do more to prevent gang videos from appearing online.

Launching a new strategy to tackle violent crime, she accused sites of “passively” standing by as gangs use the internet to taunt rivals, and glamorise criminal life. She called for them to explicitly state that such material is forbidden and would be removed.

Her comments come after a recent spate of murders in London. More than 50 people have been killed in the capital this year. Fatal stabbings in England and Wales are at their highest levels since 2010-2011.

The Home Office’s Serious Violence Strategy acknowledges that the popularity of social media “pre-dated” the recent spike in violence. But it adds that the popularity of smartphones has created “an almost unlimited opportunity” for gangs to incite violence, and recruit members.

This analysis was supported by Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, who warned recently that trivial disputes online can escalate “within minutes”.

However, political opponents claimed fewer police on the street was a bigger factor than social media. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “You simply cannot maintain community cohesion when you slash funding to the police service and cut the number of officers on our streets by 21,000”.