Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton, of Strathclyde Police, said that communities had to balance the stigma of “grassing someone up” with the consequences of not sharing information on criminal activities.

Mr Hamilton was speaking at the launch of his force’s latest initiative to tackle criminal gangs.

Strathclyde has the biggest concentration of criminal gangs in Scotland, with information held on at least 150 networks and 2,000 people.

Now Strathclyde Police has launched a poster campaign to name and shame the gangsters, as reported in last night’s Evening Times.

Mr Hamilton said yesterday: “It’s about being prepared to take risks.

“There is this cultural thing about grassing someone up. We want to tackle that head on.

“What we are asking people to do is make choices between that stigma and the consequences of not giving that information.

“That would be the potential for children getting sucked into drugs, violence, prostitution and gangs.”

At the launch of the new poster campaign Chief Inspector Gillian MacDonald said city business had a part to play in beating the criminals.

She said: “We know organised crime groups launder money through fraudulent mortgages. It is further laundered through other interests, such as taxi companies and tanning salons.”

She said that staff at estate agents, banks, insurance companies and local authorities all had a role to play in tackling the gang culture by sharing information on suspected criminals.”

Yesterday, Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill met with teenagers in Pollok to discuss serious organised crime and its impact on communities.

Mr MacAskill said: “Serious organised crime hurts our country in terms of public safety, the economy and jobs. We need a co-ordinated approach to ensure that decent people stand up against it – on the streets, within our communities, in civic society and the wider economy.

He added: “There must be no excuse of brushing serious organised crime under the carpet.

“The solution, as with the problem, is societal. We will take them on, take them down and make our communities safer.”