Videos used to promote gang violence are being removed from YouTube by an east London borough.
Newham Council has created a special unit within its enforcement team to take down songs it believes could be used to recruit new gang members.
The scheme, which has been running since January, has indentified about 500 videos and 76 of them have so far been removed.
Other London councils are looking at the scheme with a view to adopting it.
The enforcement officers trawl the site looking for local references and if they find one that is offensive they ask for its removal.
'Stupid thing'
A council spokesman said the videos are often made by professional companies to glamorise gang life, and sometimes they are made to deliberately antagonise rival gangs.
He added the Metropolitan Police has highlighted the project and as a result the council has briefed the other 31 London boroughs and the Home Office to share how it works.
"By taking these down we are trying to reduce publicity," said the Mayor of Newham, Robin Wales.
"The truth is being in a gang is a stupid thing.
"We don't want people to start being in it and when they are in it, we are going to crackdown and go after them."
[Source BBC News]
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