A SCHOOL’S police officer has urged parents to take the lead in protecting their children from online dangers.

PC Alan Williams, who is based at Clacton County High School, has delivered a hard-hitting internet presentation to 1,200 pupils at the secondary school over the past 18 months.

He has also put together a 90-minute presentation for parents after finding there was nothing being done in the area to educate adults about the issue.

He has vowed to continue to raise awareness about the issue despite being disappointed at the number of parents that attended workshops.

“I do have concerns at the lack of parents that show for these sessions aimed at protecting their children from online abuse,” said PC Williams.

“Until they see this they don’t fully understand what the risks are – this is always being pointed out to me by parents who have seen it.

“Some of the advice I give to parents is basic stuff, such as showing an interest in what your child does online, asking them to teach you about the applications they use, keeping the PC in a family room so they can be monitored, and tell them not to give out personal information.”

PC Williams said the most important advice for parents is to keep communication with their children open so they can let them know if someone online makes them feel uncomfortable.

He added that social networking sites played a big part in the presentation. He uses a recorded conversation from a chat room which appears to be an older person grooming a young person to highlight the dangers associated with using them.

PC Williams hopes to deliver the presentation to more parents, and plans to speak to primary school headteachers next month.