POLICE have acted after discovering children as young as nine are wearing the colours associated with gangs in Derby and chanting their names in school.

Officers in a special task force are going into primaries to warn about the dangers of joining gangs.

PC Pauline Hough has spoken to more than 300 youngsters across the city, warning of gangs' links to drugs and weapons and telling them of the long jail terms handed out to leading gang members.

Police chiefs and teachers hope the hour-long sessions will give pupils a clear understanding of gang culture so they are aware of the dangers if they are approached to join.

Plans are also in place to devise a programme for senior schools in the city.

Police say the A1 Crew from Allenton and the Browning Circle Terrorists from the Austin Estate in Sinfin have been responsible for a series of shooting incidents across the city since December 2007.

They have launched a crackdown on gang members and more than 100 have been arrested, 12 guns recovered and several people jailed.

Chief Superintendent Andy Hough, who is in charge of policing in Derby, said: "I think what we have realised is to tackle gangs for the future, we have to start early.

"Over the last seven or eight months we have been made aware of kids as young as nine chanting gang names and wearing purple baseball caps or shoelaces, which are the colours associated with the A1.

"Children have also worn black and white, colours associated with the Browning Circle Terrorists.

"We want to stop kids as young as eight or nine, who are aspiring to be a member of a gang like the A1 Crew, from becoming the next generation of members.

"This is the very early stages of that process. We will build on this programme to work in partnership with schools to speak to older children."

Chf Supt Hough said he was aware of children looking up to gang members such as Carlos Grant, recently jailed for the part he played in the shooting of 24-year-old Frank Farrell.

Grant was jailed alongside A1 gang co-members Jahvan Gibbons and Caleb Alexander, for a total of 36 years.

Chf Supt Hough said: "We know there are young kids who look up to the likes of Carlos Grant. They are looking for role models outside the family and they find gangs exciting."

PC Pauline Hough said police were originally approached by teachers to host sessions after children at a couple of schools were heard chanting the names of gangs.

She said the purpose of the visits was to give children as much information about life in a gang and the consequences of joining.

She said: "If they have the information they can make an informed decision. We talk to them about their life choices and the opportunities they have. We explain those opportunities may not exist if they get involved with a gang.

"We also talk to them about drugs, guns and violent crime as being an aspect of gang activity.

"It is very important to get to these youngsters early. As they get older, the exit strategy for getting out of a gang is very difficult."

PC Hough said the programme was available to every primary school in Derby but denied any individual school had a particular problem with gangs.

She delivers the sessions along with Sue Noakes, a community safety officer from the fire service.

PC Hough said: "We are talking to children aged nine and above, but if teachers were concerned about the level of knowledge of younger children, then we would be happy to go in.

"The feedback we have had is that the children have found the interactive sessions useful. They have also sparked questions from the children about crime in general, especially around knives."

PC Hough said she believed the sessions would work and that some children had even stayed behind following sessions to ask her further questions.

She said: "Some children did not realise it was an offence to carry a knife and I think teachers have been surprised about the level of knowledge children have about certain things.

"Because this is quite new, we have not followed up any of our sessions but if teachers wanted us to go back to do further sessions, we would do that."

Officers formed Operation Redshank as part of their strategy to tackle drug and gun crime.

Because of the threat of youngsters becoming involved in gangs, another team was set up by Derby Community Safety Partnership, called the Gangs Unit, of which PC Hough is a member.

It was formed in the wake of the death of Kadeem Blackwood, who was shot in November.

The team is made up of 10 people, including police officers, probation workers, staff from Derby Homes, gang mediators from Birmingham and youth workers.

Councillor Les Allen, city council cabinet member for children and young people, said: "All primary schools in the city have been invited to have the lesson delivered to children aged nine to 11 and a number of schools have already taken up the offer.

"The lesson is designed for any school and there is certainly no implication participating schools would have any sort of problem with gangs.

"We feel it is important to tell children about the dangers of gangs so they can avoid becoming involved with them at a later stage."

One head teacher, whose Year five and six pupils have been involved in the lessons, said: "While I do not believe any children at my school have any association with organised gangs, I see this as a great opportunity to raise their awareness in a positive way.

"As they grow up children may feel pressure to join a gang and this lesson is part of a programme which points out the very real dangers of gang membership.

"I am convinced the lesson, in combination with ongoing work in school, will give children the motivation to avoid any involvement with gangs in the future."