Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Police in Scotland are joining other forces in targeting online gangs which force children - mostly girls - into acts of self-harm

By

Scotland social affairs correspondent

Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in targeting online gangs which groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm.

Officers are hunting members of loose online networks of sadists known as "The Com", which mainly targets girls on gaming platforms and social media.

The groups, mostly comprised of teenage and young adult males, have risen in prominence in recent years after cases involving sextortion and hacking, as well as self-harm encouragement.

So far, there has been one arrest in Scotland, while there have been a handful of convictions in England.

The Molly Rose Foundation - a suicide prevention charity helping young people and families victimised by the network - said the groups "represent the gravest risk to children online".

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