Fagin's gangs?

Probably not, apparently.

Just spotted this excellent post by Ally Fogg (got it right this time!) on CiF This Tuesday, 'Press-ganged':

The news reports of dawn raids in Slough last week painted a dark, depressing picture of the underbelly of mass immigration. Depending which evening news bulletin you saw or which newspaper you were reading, the emphasis might have been on child slavery - with horrific images conjured of children snatched from their families and taken abroad for nefarious purposes. Other outlets drew upon Dickensian references - the phrase "Fagin's gang" being the cliche of choice for the bulk of the 73 news reports brought up by a Google news search.

The reports confirmed many of the darkest stereotypes of eastern European - and in particular Roma - populations. There's only one problem: The stories were almost completely false.

I would have thought they were sensationalised and exaggerated, but not this bloody much.

*UPDATE* It would seem that in this case, the papers are not to blame for the exaggeration so much as the police and the council involved. This one is a good example of how nonsense can appear on a front page even when the paper is acting in good faith.