By Eric King-
Social media escalates crime according to a former hang member who now works with youths in Birmingham
Simeon Moore, a past member of the notorious Aston gang the Johnson Crew, now works with young people to help them turn away from carrying a knife. He says social media plays a big role in making disagreements between young people spread fast in contrast with old times when it would take days or even weeks for arguments to develop .
Moore believes more should be done to discourage young teenagers for spending too much time on social media when they should be developing their minds and intellect. These days, young teenagers spend a lot of time on social media, often trying to build an admirable profile or reputation. Young people sometimes put up insulting or untrue posts to provoke a rival, or react to some experience they have had. Those reactions can spread quickly and invite other responses which ultimately can kick things off seriously.
Recent statistics show that knife crime has become an epidemic in Birmingham. There has been 99 recorded stabbings in an eight week period in Birmingham
UNPRECEDENTED EMERGENCY
City police chiefs say it’s an unprecedented emergency warranting the use of powers never before seen in the city – with officers empowered to stop and search anyone, at any time, without reason. Moore agrees that something urgent needs to be done. He told BBC Birmingham
Moore said: “It used to be that there’s a group in one area that doesn’t like a group in another, or that a person is being bullied because they’re from a particular area.
“That’s still the same now, but before, things could take a few days or even weeks to happen, now social media helps it [knife crime] spread, it facilitates it.
“It’s instant. And, in a few hours, you could be dead.”
The ways young people communicate with each other leads to an “escalation” of violence, Mr Moore said.
“It’s not really about the social media itself, it’s about what it does to escalate the problem. Disagreements can spread very quickly, instantly.
“You’ve only got to look at the comments under some music videos online. People kick off in the comments and arguments happen about areas and that’s how it starts.
“You can be part of a group that has the disagreement and the next instant you find out someone is dead.”
CONVERSATION
As serious as the matter is, it calls for parents to hold important conversations with their children about the importance of diffusing serious tensions sensibly. Young teenagers tend to lack the best analytical skills for addressing amongst problems, there is a serious lack of skill and on the ball smartness in practical situations. It also cannot be ignored that most of those who murder or are murdered not very often were the most conscientious or brightest pupils in the class.
Bright people can fall victim to crime anywhere, but the very serious pupils would usually not be caught up in knife crime. Last year, official figures show there was a 45% increase in the number of fatal stabbing victims aged 16 to 24 in England and Wales.In the West Midlands, there were a total of 19 deaths from knife crime. So far this year, there have been three.
Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands Police, has urged parents to have conversations with their children about where they are and who they are with.He said: “Arguments and disagreements build on social media or are overheard on the bus and in school or college.
“We need you to play a part in telling someone if a fight or trouble is brewing or if you hear someone has a knife.
“If you spot trouble ask the police or local authority for help. I do not want to arrest young people if we can avoid this.
“We need to target the people who make our children feel unsafe. You have to be part of the solution to this problem.”
Image:BBC