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Police warn public about ‘gang initiation’ e-mail, internet message

A ‘gang initiation’ message currently circulating the Island is not an official warning from the Bermuda Police Service.The message titled ‘Police warning not a joke what has it come to!’ is making its way around the Island via email and BlackBerry Messenger.It states that the police are warning members of the public, especially women, not to stop their vehicles if they see something unusual at the side of the road, such as an infant car seat with a blanket draped over it.It goes on to suggest this is ‘a gang initiation’ designed to lure the driver out of the vehicle.But Bermuda Police Service say this message is “misleading” as it is not an official warning from them.A BPS spokesman said: “We strongly advise that before sending out mass e-mails, please check with police to see if the claims are indeed true or relevant to our jurisdiction.“In particular if someone in a business or government agency receives such correspondence, they should check its authenticity with police before mass distributing it to other people.”This police warning comes as the use of social networking sites and instant messaging continues to be used to spread things around the Island in just minutes.Over the Easter weekend people used their phones to warn friends and relatives to avoid police stop and search locations. And it is not unusual for gruesome murder scene photos to be shared by cellphone.Anyone who receives an ambiguous e-mail, text message or BBM should contact the Police Public & Media Relations Office on 299-4321 or pmr[AT]bps.bm to verify the information before sending it on.* The new Hamilton Police Station opened at 8am yesterday. It means the former police station on Parliament Street is now closed and no longer in use for policing business.The address of the new police station is 52 Victoria Street, City of Hamilton, HM 12. The direct phone number is 247-1704 or you can continue to contact police via the main switchboard number 295-0011.