Police fight crime with games

By Ellie Gibson Published 17 January, 2006

Keeps 'em off the streets, innit.

Police in Edinburgh have found a new way of keeping naughty kids off the streets, out of trouble and in the library - but they're not going there to read boring old books, obviously.

According to the Daily Record, a new scheme was recently launched in the Moredun area of the city to combat anti-social behaviour through the power of games.

The local library has been hosting weekly PS2 gaming contests, and hoodies and happyslappers have been flocking to compete with police officers at the likes of Gran Turismo 3, Tiger Woods Golf and Pro Evolution Soccer - once they've worked out what a library is, of course.

Around 30 youths aged 13 and 14 took part in the contests, which ran over five weeks and rewarded the winners with shiny new games. Since the scheme kicked off, the number of youth-related crimes in the area is said to have fallen by half, and police are now considering holding more contests across Edinburgh.

Speaking to the Daily Record, competition organiser PC Rod Robinson said: "Basically, they had nothing to do so there was nuisance and rowdiness which led to a lot of calls.

"We told the children they had to behave or they would be banned from the contest. That really seemed to work. Some kids even told me they wouldn't be going out next week because they didn't want to risk getting excluded."

PC Robinson said he knows his way around a PlayStation, what with him having three kids, but he was no match for the youth of Moredun.

"It took them 15 attempts to beat me at Gran Turismo but they thrashed me at the football," he said.

"They were always telling me they would beat me next week. It showed them we're not just cops in uniforms.

"That communication will be beneficial in the future. I know a lot about these kids now and how they think."

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (24) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Teeth #1 6 years ago

    They'll be sorry when these kids grow up to be murderous thugs, shooting people, raping prostitutes and dropping lorries off bridges onto traffic.

  • Stickman #2 6 years ago

    Bllody Hell! Surely games aren't good for anything in any way are they?

  • Pac #3 6 years ago

    "They'll be sorry when these kids grow up to be murderous thugs, shooting people, raping prostitutes and dropping lorries off bridges onto traffic"

    LOL

    At least they will have a fighting chance of catching them:

    "It took them 15 attempts to beat me at Gran Turismo"

  • stoopidgreg #4 6 years ago

    so by getting 30 kids to play games they cut crime in half? something doesn't add up

  • NoCodeNed2 #5 6 years ago

    they were very naughty kids.


  • asphaltcowboy #6 6 years ago

    Well, isnt that nice? :)
    A happy story about the positive aspects of gaming...

    *sighs fondly*

  • Stickman #7 6 years ago

    I think youth-related crime fell by half, rather than crime in general!

  • Freek #8 6 years ago

    Youth related crimes, in that particular area. Not all crime and not in the entire city, sounds plausible.

  • Tweakmonkey #9 6 years ago

    blackdog - try using a link next time.

    But that's a really cool initiative by the police in Scotland. I bet they prefer to patrolling the streets too!
    Edited by 1 at 17/01/06 @ 13:55

  • kangarootoo #10 6 years ago

    Holy crap blackdog, talk about highjacking a soapbox.

    I'm sure there are some valid points in that article, but wouldn't a link have sufficed? I stopped reading after about 3 paragraphs, not because it wasn't interesting but because I scrolled down to see how much more there was and baulked.

    How about edit your post down to a link, and then maybe people will bother to read this thread.

  • kangarootoo #11 6 years ago

    "There is a link"

    lol, I'm not sure thats his point.

  • Scientist #12 6 years ago

    It's the Socialist Worker URL that put me off.

  • Enki #13 6 years ago

    Positive press about video games and crime... the apocalypse is coming people. If you need me i'll be hoarding.

  • Teeth #14 6 years ago

    This is like giving heroin to crack addicts to wean them off crack. All that's going to happen is that these kids will become addicted to games, spend too long indoors not looking after their personal health, form further distorted opinions about women and what is acceptable in society, and ultimately become useless dole scum.

  • gaijin #15 6 years ago

    "talk about highjacking (sic) a soapbox"

    yeah, I had to check the walkthru for this. It's the last mission in Los Santos, right? I could get the plastique into the pushchair, but I just couldn't get it over to the soapbox before the baby explo...

    oh yeah, I see. Sorry.

  • mentat #16 6 years ago

    Wouldn't it just be easier to lock those 30 up? :)

  • DaveTheHutt #17 6 years ago

    Here's a brain-fuck for you...

    How about rewarding those kids who are good and law-abiding with a free tourney where they can win prizes?

    What's next? Free Porsches for sex offenders so long as they promise not to rape anyone for a while? Free houses for serial killers so long as they hold off on that whole murdering business?

    What a load of bollox.

    Hutt out

  • Stickman #18 6 years ago

    I'm pretty sure the tournaments are open to all comers, you don't have to present your ASBO at the door.

  • mad_caddy #19 6 years ago

    all well and good untill the losers come to the next competition loaded up with guns and knives and the winner gets stabbed and killed for his prize possesion.

  • L0cky #20 6 years ago

    'How about rewarding those kids who are good and law-abiding with a free tourney where they can win prizes? '

    Idealistic and wouldn't work. It'd immediately exclude the problem youths from the outset and make them feel even more unwelcome. Most of the youth crime is simple loitering, disturbing the peace, being noisy, a bit of property damage. This kind of crime is a result of having bugger all to do, which the police have taken an initiative to solve.

    Good on 'em.

  • Teeth #21 6 years ago

    Chelsea smiles for juvenile delinquents. Tracheoctomies for repeat offenders. Sterilisation and full chemical removal of all body hair for third timers.

  • urban #22 6 years ago

    now he just has 30 geek rats that will dob in their mates :)

  • Keldorek #23 6 years ago

    Wouldn't it make more sense to say "Keepin' 'em off the streets, innit?"

  • DodgyPast #24 6 years ago

    I like it.

    Lets face it one of the biggest reasons for youth crime is boredom.

    The general capitalisation of leisure time has really fucked over young ones from poorer families.

    back in my time we had loads of parks... very cheap leisure centres and youth centres to keep us off the streets... unfortunately this has all been got rid of so companies can make a profit from our free time.