Out-Law News 1 min. read
09 Aug 2011, 5:10 pm
The teenager is being held under provisions of the Public Order Act (POA), a spokeswoman for the force said.
Section 14 of the POA allows police to take action they think necessary against people they believe are involved in "any public assembly" where there may be "serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community" or where the organiser's purpose "is the intimidation of others with a view to compelling them not to do an act they have a right to do, to do an act they have a right not to do" in order "to prevent such disorder, damage, disruption or intimidation".
"Strathclyde police can confirm that at 1240 hrs today a 16 year old male was detained following an operation in the South Side of Glasgow in connection with the posting of a message on the social networking site Facebook, allegedly inciting others to commit acts of disorder," Strathclyde Police said in a statement.
"At this time there is no intelligence to suggest that there is any trouble planned in the Force area and officers will continue to monitor the situation. What has been clear is that there is widespread public condemnation of any plans to incite violence and we would encourage the public to continue to report any concerns of this nature to police," the statement said.
Residents of London and other English cities have witnessed scenes of violence and disorder on the streets since the weekend. The riots began after a police officer shot dead London resident Mark Duggan on Thursday.
Acting to detain the teenager shows Scotland's largest police force "will take decisive action to prevent anyone inciting violence", Assistant Chief Constable Fiona Taylor of Strathclyde Police Operational Support, said in the statement.
"Communities in London and other cities in England have been outraged at the disgraceful scenes of destruction and looting that they have witnessed and we are sure that communities here would be just as horrified to think that anyone was trying to incite similar acts of mindless criminality," Taylor said.
"Let there be no mistake, we are ready for any eventuality and will take any action necessary to prevent this kind of abhorrent behaviour. The action we took today should act as a strong warning to anyone who is thinking of causing trouble here," Taylor said.
