Are music videos behind the rise in UK's violent crime?
Amber Rudd announced the Government would ban gang-inspired music videos as part of a range of measures to curb violent crime.
Wednesday 11 April 2018 11:24, UK
Two reformed criminals who helped achieve a truce between Birmingham's most notorious gangs have said the Government's idea of banning gang-inspired music videos will be counterproductive.
The proposal from Home Secretary Amber Rudd was announced as part of a range of measures to curb the spike in violent crime in towns and cities across the UK.
She promised to work harder with social media companies to remove provocative violent content.
:: Feuding Birmingham gang members banned from making music videos
It has been blamed for accelerating revenge attacks between different gangs that use social media posts or online videos to bait each other.
Simeon Moore who was once part of Birmingham's Johnson Crew and Dylan Duffus, who used to be associated with their Burger Bar Boys rivals, told Sky News the move fails to understand the problems in some communities.
Moore who now runs his own social media channel Dats TV told Sky News: "You ban them and you are giving them more power because they are 'banned YouTube stars'.
"They are getting a million views on YouTube they could turn that in to a business easy and make money and come away from the streets - so how can we invest in them to develop?"
His business partner Duffus, who is also now an established actor, explained: "We don't need to ban it we need to invest in it and turn something positive....the music is therapeutic for a lot of these kids."
"Stabbing is part of the culture now so they are walking round with knives and their first reaction is to take a knife out - it is not because they want to stab someone it so because they are just scared."
One of the acts to have already been banned by YouTube is the drill music group '23 Drillas' who are based in Birmingham.
Their videos which often attract millions of hits online are interpreted by many as celebrating gang culture but the people responsible for them argue they are simply portraying the grim reality of life around them.
One of the 23 Diggas known as 'SmuggzyAce' told Sky News that he felt it was "normal" to see or hear about murders in his community.
"We are just expressing our feelings" he said.
"It's when police turn up and are labelling it (music) as 'gang' then it is bad - it is the same with the news (media) labelling it.
"If you are from the outside then you don't understand it - we are using music as something positive to try and become something else and not to become a statistic".