Police warning over online racial abuse

POLICE have warned people who use social networking sites that racial abuse will not be tolerated.

The warning came after two girls, aged 12 and 14, were reported to the police over separate incidents in the Falkirk area.

Inspector David Mitchell, from Central Scotland Police, said: “People may think they are safe in writing whatever they want on sites such as Facebook in the misguided belief that it is doing no harm.

“That is totally wrong – once something is written online it is there for posterity.

“Writing something online is just the same as saying it in public. And the same rules apply – if it causes offence to anybody and it is reported to us, then we have to investigate, just in the same way as anything which might be said.”

The two girls are being referred to the Children’s Reporter.