Schools in Flintshire have marked Safer Internet Week by arranging special assemblies and lessons with the help of North Wales Police School Community Liaison Officers.
The Flintshireofficers have trained more than 20,000 school children in the safe use of the internet using the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency’s ‘Think you Know’ programme, but wanted to use safer internet week to deliver the special ’Think before you Post’ message to raise awareness of the dangers of putting personal information online.
One of the schools visited by PC Gail Sinclair, a Flintshire School Community Liaison Officer was Gronant Primary School. During the visit she talked to children between the ages of 4 and 12 about using the internet safely and keeping their personal information safe.
PC Sinclair, who covers schools in the North Flintshire area said, “The Internet is an important tool in our daily lives and we want to encourage children to use it safely and parents to become more involved in what their children are doing online.
“The presentations went really well. The majority of the children use the internet in some way and they now have some useful information which should help to keep them safe online in future.”
With more than 23 years police experience PC Sinclair has been delivering lessons to pupils for almost six years and says, “I have found this role to be one of the most rewarding aspects of policing and feel that we really are equipping children with vital information which will help them make good choices about their safety.”
To find out more about the ‘Think you Know’ programme and tips on how to stay safe and keep your child safe online please visit www.thinkuknow.co.uk
