A new mobile app featuring Staffordshire police dogs which aims to help kids stay safe online is receiving praise from game players and experts alike.
The ‘Kash Dash’ app, which has been designed by the Office of Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner and features police dogs Emma and Jasper, and former police dog and force mascot Kash, has had 1,000 downloads in the first week and over 2,000 visits to websites giving safety advice such as The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), Beat Bullying and the Facebook Safety Centre.
The game can be downloaded for free on Android and Apple via http://bit.ly/kashdash or by searching ‘KASH DASH’ on the online stores.
Via the Android store, game player Ebony Fairbrother said “This app is so helpful, it can warn children about the dangers of the internet and how to be safe online but also have fun at the same time”, whilst on Twitter ‘The Gadget Show’ presenter Jason Bradbury tweeted “gr8 idea, checking it out now”.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, said: “We must find ways to better connect youngsters with information on how to stay safe online. Rather than asking them to find their way to us this game takes vital safety messages to them using technology which is familiar.
“We need to be smarter in how we engage and this new game seems to be working. It’s fun but includes serious messages”.
Chief Constable Jane Sawyers said: “Online safety is increasingly a major concern for parents and educating children in this area is a priority for the force.
“Police dogs are always popular with pupils when they visit schools as part of our work in local communities so combining them with online safety messages is a winning combination.”
