Cambridgeshire police defends itself for warning parents of Momo Challenge danger after complaint made

Police in Peterborough sent out a message this morning to explain the dangers of the challenge.

Momo is a creepy doll-like figure which is said to appear in social media, videos and games online, encouraging children to add a contact on WhatsApp. It then sends them violent images and dangerous dares.

Recent UK media reports have linked the Momo challenge to self-harm and suicide.

However, it appears not everyone has taken kindly to the warning.

Amanda Large, crime prevention officer in Peterborough, sent out a second message this afternoon. It read: “Some of you may have heard or read the news yesterday, suggesting that the Momo Challenge we had previously made you aware of now appears to have been a piece of malicious fake news.

“This has led to the criticism of journalists, police and other adults for fuelling the rumour yet their main motive was only to help protect young people.

“We initially held back sending the email out to you all, because we were very much aware of the dilemma that by making adults aware of the Momo Challenge it could actually result in alerting young people to something they had not even heard of.

“However, the internet and national media was clearly alive with chatter of the Momo Challenge and the potential danger to the young people in our communities. Protecting and keeping children safe will always be a priority for Cambridgeshire police, so therefore we sent the email out based on the information we had read and assessed.

“Today, we have been made aware of a member of the public who is not happy with Cambridgeshire police for assisting in spreading the rumour.

“If any of you thought we had acted inappropriately by sending the original email out then we apologise, but we would like to believe that you all thought that we were acting with good intent.”

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