Social media is used to discuss homicides once they have taken place (PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Snapchat is the “favoured” social media site of killers in London who are using online messages to lure victims into lethal traps and plan attacks, a City Hall study warned today.
It also discloses that social media is used to discuss homicides once they have taken place and that each killing costs police and the criminal justice system more than £800,000 to deal with, on top of the human suffering.
It says that equates to an annual £120 million cost to the capital says and that the “ability to delete messages on Snapchat was known and used by individuals” and may explain why it was chosen “in the context of committing violence”
The study points out, however, that the social media exchanges could provide an “opportunity to predict and prevent escalation” towards a lethal attack and are among a number of factors frequently seen in killings that could be acted upon to save lives.
It says that others included undiagnosed mental health problems, drug use and drinking at “risk locations”, as well as gang involvement.
The new findings come from a study of homicides in the capital by the City Hall’s Violence Reduction Unit set up by Mayor Sadiq Khan in response to a surge in young knife murders and continued concern about domestic killings.
Unveiling the results today, Lib Peck, the director of the Violence Reduction Unit, said the aim was “to build an evidence base for what works and what doesn’t” when trying to prevent killings.
“This report lays bare not only the crippling impact homicides have on families and communities, but the huge economic impact for our public services,” she added.
City Hall said the aim was to create “a framework” that would help police and others “to better understand the drivers of homicide in the capital and highlight where to best target resources” to prevent killings.
On the role of social media in homicides, today’s study says that it is “more sophisticated than sharing threats or aggressive language online” and is “also used to lure victims into a trap, plan attacks or discuss the incident. “
It adds: “The ability to delete messages on Snapchat was known and used by individuals, and may explain why it was favoured in the context of committing violence. The number of touchpoints provided in these escalations is an opportunity to predict and prevent escalation.”
The study also says that other social media sites used as a "preferred communication channel for gang-affiliated individuals" include Telegram and WhatsApp.
The study also discloses that nearly half of all London killings involved the use of drugs and that mental health problems were also more prevalent than previously recognised with alcohol another trigger at particular times of day or locations.
Lib Peck, the director of the Violence Reduction Unit, said the findings provided an opportunity to see "what works and what doesn’t" when tackling violence and would help police and others to "intervene earlier to prevent violence from happening in the first place."
Stressing the importance of such action, she added: “This report lays bare not only the crippling impact homicides have on families and communities, but the huge economic impact for our public services."
Met Detective Superintendent David Kennett welcomed the findings, saying: “Homicides have a monumental effect on families and communities. This new framework shows tremendous promise and means for the first time we can truly influence the criminal justice system by identifying where the risks lie.”#
Mayor Sadiq Khan added: “If we are to continue reducing violence in London, it’s crucial that we identify more opportunities to intervene early because I firmly believe that violence is preventable, not inevitable.”
