POLICE have swooped on the homes of nearly 200 children identified on internet sites such as Bebo, glorifying gang violence, drinking and taking drugs.

Central Scotland Police trawled Bebo and other social networking sites over several weeks during Operation Pincer, which the force itself described as "intrusive".

A total of 182 youngsters – 80 in Falkirk, 37 in Clackmannanshire and 66 in the

Stirling district – received visits from police after a catalogue of alarming comments, photographs and videos were uncovered.

They included footage of a youngster stamping on another boy's head, pictures of teenagers brandishing large amounts of alcohol and images of guns.

As a result of the operation, the alleged perpetrator of a serious assault was arrested and several people were reported for breaching bail.

Central Scotland Police said parents were "shocked and horrified" when officers revealed what their children had been up to.

In all cases, officers identified the youngsters, aged 12 to 18, from their photos and videos posted on the websites.

Derek Penman, Assistant Chief Constable of Central Scotland Police, said:

"When we started looking, what became clear was that young people, aged from very early teens through to late teens and young adulthood, were involved in open displays of aggression and other unacceptable behaviour, apparently fuelled by drink in many cases.

"We found a wide range of content which raised child-safety issues. This included young people being involved in the abuse of alcohol, potentially exposing themselves to violence, possession of weapons, racism and sectarianism.

"Other intelligence was gathered relating to drug dealing."

Mr Penman said that all 182 young people targeted by the operation were interviewed by officers about their online activity in the presence of their parents or guardians.

He said: "In many cases, the parents were simply unaware of their child's use of social networking in this way, and their reaction ranged from shock to disgust."

Police say they will "continue to monitor the situation" over the coming weeks and further visits are planned.

Mr Penman added: "This has been about being intelligence-led from the start, to tackle a long-standing problem of antisocial behaviour, youth disorder and under-age alcohol abuse – something our communities tell us is their biggest concern – which was being driven by young people's use of the internet."

Social-work leaders welcomed the operation.

Graham Lambie, children's safety leader at Stirling Council, said young people were "prepared to expose themselves to high levels of risk in relation to the misuse of alcohol and participation in gang-related activity including the use of weapons".

He added: "We will continue to liaise closely with the police on this operation and there will be follow-up work with the families and young people concerned."

A spokesman for Bebo said: "Bebo has strict terms of use which users agree to at the point of registration, under which inappropriate or illegal communications are strictly forbidden."

Faithbook, the new networking site to counter extremism

THE increasing power of social networking sites is to be harnessed in an attempt to combat extremism and improve relations between the major faiths.

Faithbook, a social networking facility for people of different faiths, goes live on Facebook today with discussion boards, prayers, photographs and videos.

The organisers hope the initiative, created by the Movement for Reform Judaism in Britain, will attract a worldwide following.

Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand, executive director of the organisation said: "It is absolutely essential that we fully utilise social networking tools, which is the way that so many people are starting to communicate.

"So much has happened with new media, it has become a place where extremists can construct messages of hate and intolerance. We have got to combat tha

If you see someone being bullied and you don't do anything to help them then you're helping the bully!

People who are being bullied can feel their lives are such a misery that they want to die. Often other people at school don't realise the effect that bullying has when it goes on day in day out.

Bullying makes people so upset that they often need to see a doctor. They might even try to kill themselves, or they self harm or perhaps suffer an eating disorder, particularly if they are called names about their weight or appearance.

There are usually quite a lot of pointers that someone is being bullied and if you see or hear any of them you're in a good position to help.

How to tell if someone is being bullied

Is anyone in your class taking a lot of time off, getting to school late, trying to avoid being in situations like the toilets or changing rooms?
Do you hear someone calling them names, not loudly, but so that they will overhear?
Are rumours being spread about them?
Are they being left out of things when partners are chosen in class?
Are they spending break and lunchtime on their own?
Are people fixing up nice things to do out of school and leaving them out?
Are they getting nasty phone texts and abuse on the internet or by instant messaging?

If so then you already know someone who is being bullied.

You might be afraid that if you do something about it, the bully might pick on you next but there are lots of things you can do to help.

What you should do to help

Tell a teacher
Go with the person being bullied and back up what they say to the teacher
Tell the person being bullied that you'll help them to tell their parents
Tell your parents what's happening and ask them to have a quiet word with your head of year
Agree with your friends that you will all make it clear to the person doing the bullying that you don't like what they're doing
Keep a diary of what you see going on so that you can give a teacher a reliable account of what has been happening

If you tell a teacher what has happened then the bully shouldn't find out that you've done that. The teacher should be able to quietly alert other teachers and keep an eye on the situation so that the bully is caught red handed and has only themselves to blame.

If you see someone being bullied they're probably very upset so make sure they know that you and your friends don't like what is going on and ask them to join your group.

What is bullying?
Bullying is when someone keeps doing or saying things to have power over another person.
Some of the ways they bully other people are by: calling them names, saying or writing nasty things about them, leaving them out of activities, not talking to them, threatening them, making them feel uncomfortable or scared, taking or damaging their things, hitting or kicking them, or making them do things they don't want to do.

Have any of these things happened to you? Have you done any of these things to someone else? Really, bullying is wrong behaviour which makes the person being bullied feel afraid or uncomfortable.


Why do some people bully?
There are a lot of reasons why some people bully.

They may see it as a way of being popular, or making themselves look tough and in charge.
Some bullies do it to get attention or things, or to make other people afraid of them. Others might be jealous of the person they are bullying. They may be being bullied themselves.

Some bullies may not even understand how wrong their behaviour is and how it makes the person being bullied feel.


Why are some young people bullied?
Some young people are bullied for no particular reason, but sometimes it's because they are different in some way - perhaps it's the colour of their skin, the way they talk, their size or their name.
Sometimes young people are bullied because they look like they won't stand up for themselves.


Why is bullying harmful?
Some people think bullying is just part of growing up and a way for young people to learn to stick up for themselves. But bullying can make young people feel lonely, unhappy and frightened. It makes them feel unsafe and think there must be something wrong with them. They lose confidence and may not want to go to school any more. It may make them sick.


What can you do if you are being bullied?
Coping with bullying can be difficult, but remember, you are not the problem, the bully is. You have a right to feel safe and secure.
And if you're different in some way, be proud of it! Kia Kaha - stand strong. Spend time with your friends - bullies hardly ever pick on people if they're with others in a group.

You've probably already tried ignoring the bully, telling them to stop and walking away whenever the bullying starts.
If someone is bullying you, you should always tell an adult you can trust. This isn't telling tales. You have a right to be safe and adults can do things to get the bullying stopped.
Even if you think you've solved the problem on your own, tell an adult anyway, in case it happens again.
An adult you can trust might be a teacher, school principal, parent, someone from your family or whanau, or a friend's parent. If you find it difficult to talk about being bullied, you might find it easier to write down what's been happening to you and give it to an adult you trust.


What can you do if you see someone else being bullied?
If you see someone else being bullied you should always try to stop it. If you do nothing, you're saying that bullying is okay with you.
It's always best to treat others the way you would like to be treated.
You should show the bully that you think what they're doing is stupid and mean. Help the person being bullied to tell an adult they can trust.


Are you a bully?
Have you ever bullied someone else? Think about why you did it and how you were feeling at the time. If you are sometimes a bully, try to find other ways to make yourself feel good.

Most bullies aren't liked, even if it starts out that way. Remember, it's best to treat others the way you would like to be treated.