Victims and campaigners said the company needed to do more to proactively remove videos espousing violence and use their technology to search them out.

Tilisha Goupall, whose 15 year old brother was stabbed to death two years ago by a masked gang acting out the lyrics from a song they posted on YouTube in a war with rivals, said YouTube should not be turning down police requests.

“I am not against artists but drill music has been twisted and it now incites violence. It’s not rapping, it’s not MC-ing. It should not be allowed to be on these platforms.

“They are talking violence, about guns and knives. My brother lost his life because of what they posted up on social media. If they had not, he would be alive today.”

Mr Wilson admitted YouTube was “not in the right place” five years ago but had strengthened its policies and procedures, removing 8.3 million videos in the first quarter of this year, many of which were taken down before a single view.

However, he said it was hard to decide whether to remove videos that were “legal but potentially harmful.” “Drawing a line on content that should be removed isn’t always clear.

“While some have argued there is no place for drill music on YouTube, we believe we can help provide a place for those too often without a voice.