A schoolboy thought to be a gang member got his 'life motto' mixed up when he was confronted by police.
PC Rowan Perrior of Essex Police was patrolling South Ockendon when the boy, 12, gave officers 'the finger'.
Police swiftly confronted him for his actions, reports Essex Live.
He told them his 'motto in life' was "get killed or be killed."
According to PC Perrior, the 12-year-old also claimed he was a "self-proclaimed gang member".
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He was taken back to school and was told by the officers to "stop being a silly little boy".
The constable said the boy also claimed: "I do regret some of my life choices, but it’s too late to change now."
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The area where the boy was confronted is said to be at the centre of activity of C17.
Members are known to have strong links to the notorious London gang 410, from Brixton, and also to gangs in Havering.
Remarkably, most members are teenagers, with the majority aged between 14 and 15, and some being as young as 13.
As of January this year police had made nine members the subject of strict injunctions which ban them from parts of Thurrock.
Of the nine members, five were under 18.
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It appears that drill videos, in which gang members rap about criminal lifestyles and create deadly rivalries, are having an increasing impact on the lifestyles of young children.
Sgt Fitzmaurice, who patrols the streets of Grays in hope of tackling the problem, said these videos are often a way to recruit young children.
He added: "The kids see the music and the money and the amount of views these videos are getting and a lot of people want to join in. They film the videos locally and get the youths involved.
"Drill music is a big part of the problem in terms of the tensions with other crews.
"You will see on YouTube that they are both disputing with each other and there will be a retaliation and it goes on from there.
"Most of them are around 14 to 15 years old. But our youngest member is 13. The drugs they deal are a mixture of cocaine, cannabis, heroin and crack cocaine."
