British youngsters to take course against paedophile
( 2003-10-23 10:42) (Xinhua)
Britain is to launch a campaign to given a crash course for all the
11-year-old in the country on how to avoid chatroom paedophiles following a
string of cases in which child abusers have used the internet to "groom"
youngsters for sex.
The campaign, Don't Talk To Strangers, will be tried first in London before
being extended to other parts of the country, the Skynews reported on Wednesday.
Under the program, police liaison officers will visit schools and show pupils
how to detect perverts. They will warn children to be sceptical about people
asking for their details and emphasize that teenagers should leave the chatroom
as soon as they start to feel uncomfortable.
The campaign follows the case of Douglas Lindsell, who is believed to be the
most prolific internet groomer ever caught. Lindsell, 64, from Twickenham, south
west London, had hand-written profiles of 73 youngsters he had met on the
internet.
According to Home Office figures, one in five youngsters aged nine to 16 use
internet chatrooms. One in 10 of those questioned admitted they had met people
they had got to know online.
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