One in 20 Capital teens is a gang member, says study

One in 20 teenagers in Edinburgh is a member of a gang, a new study has claimed.

The research from Glasgow and Edinburgh universities was based on interviews with more than 4000 secondary school children.

The youngsters were interviewed at ages 13, 16 and 17, in the period between 1998 and 2003.

The study identified groups like Young Niddrie Terror, Young Pilton Derry and Young Mental Drylaw, but also found five private schools pupils who were in gangs.

The researchers, led by Professor Susan McVie of Edinburgh and Jon Bannister of Glasgow University, said gang members were more likely to indulge in risky behaviour than their peers.

They found that 23 per cent of 13-year-old gang members in the Capital had drunk alcohol in the previous week, compared to 6 per cent of other children, and 31 per cent had taken drugs in the last year, compared to 6 per cent of other children.

However, the study found that Edinburgh gangs were different from those in Glasgow. While west coast gangs defended strong territorial affiliations through gang fighting, groups in the Capital were engaged in relatively low-level antisocial behaviour.