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'Safer Internet Day 2017'
sees 6th Form College students give unusual task
MERSEYSIDE Police have been raising
awareness about how to stay safe online, on Safer Internet Day 2017, that took
place on Tuesday, 7 February 2017. Merseyside Police has teamed up with the
National Police Chief's Council (NPCC), National Crime Agency Child Exploitation
Online Protection centre (NCA CEOP) and the UK Safer Internet Centre to promote
the safe and responsible use of technology.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Baker from Merseyside Police said:- "We are
joining this national day of awareness to warn children, young people and adults
of the dangers of being manipulated online by strangers and to alert parents,
teachers and guardians to the warning signs that children may be at risk. We
want to raise awareness of the importance of setting parental controls on
computers, games consoles and electronic devices to keep your children safe, so
they are not exposed to potentially harmful and inappropriate material online. I
would also strongly advise parents to be satisfied that they know who their
children are engaging with. Online gaming is increasingly popular with children
and young people. But some people may not realise that games consoles such as
Xbox and PlayStation are connected to the internet and can be used for
communicating, as well as playing games. The web offers a degree of anonymity to
criminals intent on grooming young people, allowing them to pretend to be
someone they are not and gain trust and build relationships with younger people
in order to exploit them. These relationships may feel like genuine friendships
for that child or teenager but they are clearly not. Some young people over
share online, on social media and webcams and that type of behaviour can be
exploited by some."
The Studio School and 6th Form College, on Greenland Street, Liverpool has a
strong emphasis on digital technology and they receive a visit from Merseyside
Police, where a cybercrime operation was launched.
Year 10 and Year 12 students will be tasked with developing a product utilising
digital technology or other means that will reduce cybercrime offending and
protect victims. The students will be required to present their pitch to a panel
of members of Merseyside Police and The Studio.
The concept that the panel find most convincing will then be developed by the
students, making use of external support from partners of the School. It is
hoped the product will be launched later in 2017.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Baker added:- "Every 1 of us has to play
our part in putting a stop to the exploitation of children and we all need to
know the signs to look for, including if they are regularly missing school,
appearing with unexplained gifts, having mood swings or becoming secretive about
their use of social media. If you are a child, you may think it's cool to get
involved with older people but they may ask you to perform sexual acts or take
photos of yourself in return and you may be pressured to keep these things
secret. If we all look out for these signs and report any suspicions, we can
break the cycle. If you are a parent or carer of a primary aged child, you can
help them spot the signs of manipulative behaviour online with the CEOP's Play,
Like, Share series. It is really important that we all become more aware of the
possible risk of exploitation on social media sites and how to report suspicious
activity to the police. If your child has been approached inappropriately
online, report it to us on:- 101 and we will take action."
Advice and guidance for children, young people and adults to help them stay safe
online is available on the Merseyside Police
website. You can also find useful
information on:-
GetSafeOnline.Org;
CEOP.Police.UK
also look at:-
ThinkUKnow.Co.UK.
If you believe your child is a victim or at risk of child sexual exploitation
online call Merseyside Police on:- 101. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers
anonymously on 0800 555 111. If the life of a child is in immediate danger or a
crime is ongoing dial:- 999. |
