Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)

Online cops will fight hate trolls

- BY KAREN ROCKETT

ONLINE hate crime is to be tackled by a new national police team, the Home Secretary has said.

Amber Rudd revealed a specialise­d team of officers is being set up to root out social media trolls, support their victims and improve prosecutio­n rates.

It will also contact online platforms so abuse is removed and refer cases to particular police forces if an investigat­ion is needed.

There was a surge in reports of online abuse after the EU referendum last year, and police saw another spike around this year’s terror attacks in Manchester and London. Officials hope the hub will improve the police response to the problem.

Ms Rudd said: “What is illegal offline is illegal online, and those who commit these cowardly crimes should be met with the full force of the law.

“The hub will improve our understand­ing of the scale and nature of this despicable form of abuse.”

 ??  ?? LAUNCH Amber Rudd
LAUNCH Amber Rudd

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