THe head of a specialist policing unit which helps protect children from online predators has encouraged parents to be more aware of what their child gets up to online.

Detective Chief Superintendent Alastair Simpson, who heads up the North East Regional Specialist Operations Unit (NERSOU), has asked parents to learn more about new, emerging social media platforms and trends, as well as talk to their children about the people they are interacting with online.

The message follows similar calls from police forces across the North-East and organisations like the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), who have all urged parents to take a greater interest in their child’s online activity since the country went into lockdown.

NERSOU, which is made up of officers from the three police forces of Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland, houses a specialist online unit – a team which pursues dangerous offenders and helps safeguard their victims, as well as tackling a wide range of other cyber-related crimes.

Det Chief Supt Simpson said: “At a time when children are spending more time online to stay in touch with their friends and classmates, there’s no doubt a small minority of individuals will be trying to take advantage of this.

“I know many parents will have seen previous requests from their local police force or maybe even their child’s school. I’d like to reiterate that it is vitally important we all pull together to take action against predators who are looking to exploit children online.

“NERSOU continues to carry out round-the-clock activity alongside teams from Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland police to identify, trace and bring to justice those involved in online child abuse and exploitation. Child protection is one of our top priorities.

“But, prevention is key – if you can teach your children about what behaviours are appropriate online, make sure they flag whenever a stranger sends them photos or friend requests, and make sure they tell you which sites they are using. If we all work together on those points, a number of these offenders will fail at the first hurdle.

"We would ask that if you suspect someone might be a victim, or a perpetrator of online grooming or sexual exploitation, you report this to your local police force. It might seem daunting, but there are so many resources and websites which can help you understand the constantly changing online world.”

Anyone with concerns about online child abuse and exploitation can report it confidentiality to their local police force or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111 or visit https://crimestoppers-uk.org/