Year 10 students at St John Fisher Catholic College learned about the very real dangers of the online world and the importance of cyber safety during a special visit by Staffordshire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.
Sue Arnold visited the school in Newcastle-under-Lyme as part of Internet Safety Day to present the winners of a cyber crime competition run by the PCC’s office with certificates and prizes.
The winning poster, designed by seventeen students from the school features a selection of storyboards showing cyber safety messages and reasons you should stay safe online.
During her visit, Mrs Arnold highlighted key ways young people can stay safe online and shared with the students other important areas of her work, including domestic abuse and business crime.
‘The internet and its development has brought a real wealth of opportunity for all, but also a rather sinister flipside of new and constantly changing threats from crime and criminals. It’s a rapidly moving world and one, which criminals are finding new ways of exploiting all the time.
‘We all need to be mindful of the risks online, but young people can be especially vulnerable to being exploited and preyed upon.
‘It was good to have the chance to talk to students at St John Fisher Catholic College, who were incredibly receptive. I would like to congratulate all those who took part in the competition. The winning poster featured some key messages about online safety and the creativity was outstanding.”
Cyber crime, is a general term for any crime committed online covering anything from fraud and bullying to theft and grooming. It can be done by computer, smart phones, tablets or other devices. Cyber crime also includes crimes against your computer or device such as contaminating or corrupting it with viruses or taking-over your social media profile, email account or your website. The competition was part of the Cyber Safe Staffordshire campaign which aims to raise awareness about cyber crime and how people and businesses can protect themselves and their families online.
The campaign was launched by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire Matthew Ellis and the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police Jane Sawyers.
You can find out more information about cyber crime at: www.staffordshire.police.uk/cybercrime
