Amber Rudd slams social media giants for ‘facilitating’ horrific rise in serious violence as she lifts lid on eruption in drug-fuelled attacks by young Brits

AMBER Rudd slammed social media giants for “facilitating” a horrific rise in serious violence today as she lifted the lid on an eruption in drug-fuelled attacks by young Brits.

Unveiling a blueprint to tackle violent crime, the Home Secretary said the explosion in smartphones had given gangs an “unlimited opportunity” to spread violence and antagonise rivals.

It came as her “serious violence strategy” fuelled a bitter political row by refusing to male any mention of the effects of police cuts on increases in murder, knife and gun crime since 2014.

Ahead of a speech in London, Ms Rudd claimed social media giants were “passively” standing by as gangs use platforms to spread violence, taunt rivals and “glamorise weapons and gang life”.

She added that social media activity offered a key method to promote drug selling and recruiting members to their gangs.

The Home Secretary stormed: “We are clear that the status quo cannot continue.”

The ‘Serious Violence Strategy’ said homicides had soared 18 per cent since 2014 and blamed an alarming rise in use of crack cocaine for a worrying rise in violent attacks.

And it said there was a marked shift towards younger Brits carrying out the attacks - and being a victim of the crime wave.

Many gangs were spreading out from gangs into counties - and using vulnerable children to ferry drugs into new markets - the report said.

There has been a staggering 77 per cent rise in the number of under 17s convicted for intending to sell Class A drugs since 2012.

Officials claimed police numbers and resources were not as much of a driver as changes in the drug market.

They added that staffing levels were at a record high a decade ago, but knife crime was also at all-time highs at the time.

In a damning attack on the likes of Facebook and Snapchat, the report said that while the popularity of social media had “pre-dated” the recent explosion in serious violence, the growth in the use of smartphones had created “an almost unlimited opportunity” for gangs.

It said: “There is strong evidence that rival gangs are using social media to promote gang culture, taunt each other and incite violence.

“Some gang members have thousands of followers.

“Research shows the most viewed comments and videos are the ones most likely to result in retaliatory violence. This glamorises weapons and gang life, possibly leading to emulation.”