Online safety workshops to be delivered in Tarporley

Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner has awarded funding to a local charity to design and deliver awareness sessions about the dangers of being online.

Motherwell has received a £1,000 grant from PCC David Keane’s Community Police Fund to enable them to deliver online webinars and workshops to raise awareness of four key areas.

Content is currently being developed and will include specific sessions on grooming, exploitation and rape, online dating, and county lines drug activity.

Motherwell will be working closely with Tarporley High Schools to deliver the sessions to parents and guardians initially and will then attend school assemblies alongside local police officers, when restrictions allow.

The resources will be suitable for young people and their parents and will focus on recognising the signs associated with the most common, behind-closed-doors issues affecting our young people.

Alongside the webinars and assemblies, Motherwell are developing a toolkit of resources which will be made available via their website to guide individuals to seek the support they may need.

PCC David Keane recently supported the group to run a pilot project in Winsford and Crewe but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the campaigns will be merged and be offered on a much bigger scale, across more locations.

He said: “It is extremely important that we continue to ensure young people are looking after themselves whilst online. The internet can be a wonderful asset to support online learning and virtual connections during lockdown, however, we know it can also be a place where people can exploit and draw in even the most vigilant individuals.

“It’s easy for us all to think, this won’t happen to me or my children but this can happen to any of us. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated and aware of those reaching out online when lonely or isolated.

“This project is a great example of why I set up the Community Police Fund. It’s about encouraging the community to become part of the solution to many of the problems which exist in their area. Working together to achieve a resolution makes our communities safer and more resilient.  I look forward to watching this project develop.”

The Community Police Fund, which will fund this project, takes money from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act and reinvests it back into the community.  The commissioner set up the fund to enable the 122 community policing areas in Cheshire, to work with local groups to come up with projects and ideas which address local need. 

The Tarporley community officers worked alongside Motherwell to apply following an increase in concerns about young people in rural locations during lockdown. Many young people are spending increasing amounts of time online and are falling victim to online crime and grooming.

Kate Blakemore, founder and CEO of Motherwell, said: “We are so pleased to have received this funding from PCC David Keane to spread the awareness of such important topics.

“Many people wrongly assume that rural, affluent areas don’t have these kind of issues, however, in reality there is a real risk everywhere.  

“We need to spread this message and working with the local policing team, we will ensure we give the right message in the right way.”

Pictured - Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner David Keane.