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Police move to keep young safer on the net
Paul Whitehouse A YORKSHIRE police force is offering professional advice to parents who need help to protect their computer-savvy children from the dangers of the internet.
The move, by South Yorkshire Police, comes as the toll of deaths among young people who have visited suicide websites continues to increase.
Police computer experts will be available to offer help and advice to parents who may find their children's technical knowledge of computers and the internet outstrips their own.
The aim of the scheme
is to provide advice for
parents wanting to stop their children viewing sites they believe are inappropriate and also general safety issues for whenever they are using the internet and conversing with other people in 'chatrooms'.
Dangers of the internet were brought into sharp focus in Yorkshire last year when teenager Carina Stephenson committed suicide after visiting websites which advocated people taking their own lives.
She was also in contact with others who displayed suicidal tendencies and it has never become clear whether any of those youngsters took their lives.
Carina's parents remained totally unaware of the contact until she left their home in Doncaster and hanged herself.
An investigation revealed she had been able to over-ride the security controls they had installed on the machine, bought to help with her school work, to get access to the internet.
Since her death, details of many more in similar circumstances have emerged and her mother, Liz Taylor, is lobbying the Government for legislation to outlaw such sites.
The South Yorkshire Police system operates by telephone, with callers initially asked to leave a message when they ring.
That then automatically generates an email to the force's computer forensic officers, who return the call.
Scientific Support Forensic Investigator PC Garry Waddington said: "Children using chatrooms and giving out personal details is an increasing problem.
"Arranging actual meetings with people they do not know is also on the up.
"The internet is the crime of the future. If we can make people aware of the dangers, it will hopefully allow people to keep safe when using the web," he said.
An officer will be on hand from 7.30 to 5.30pm to answer messages and the team will aim to get back to the caller within 24 hours.
The telephone contact number is 0114 296 3888.
paul.whitehouse@ypn.co.uk
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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