Games consoles can spell danger

PARENTS in Warrington whose children get games consoles for Christmas are being warned to watch out for paedophiles trying to make contact via the gaming networks.
Cheshire Police advise parents to keep an eye on how children use the gifts. Paedophiles may use gaming networks to contact and groom children, in the same way as other parts of the internet.
Officers say parents should take precautions to protect their children. In particular they advise not installing an internet-enabled games console in a child’s bedroom where the child may use it alone for long periods.
Detective Sergeant Mark Fletcher, of the police’s paedophile unit, said: “Most parents are aware that sex offenders go on the internet, often posing as children, to make contact with youngsters. There is just not the same degree of awareness about games.”
Recently an Essex woman who incited a child to commit a sex act and other offences, was given a suspended prison sentence, ordered to do community service and put on the sex offenders register.
“The case involved a boy from Cheshire who she met while playing a game on Xbox Live. He was then 14. Over a period of 18 months she pretended to be a 25 years old single nurse, when, in reality, she was 33, with a partner and two children,” Sergeant Fletcher added.
He said adults can make contact with children while playing a game and then move onto an Internet chat area.
“The first rule is to keep the console in a shared part of your home where a child is not going to be alone with it for any length of time.
“You need to impress on your children that they must never give out any personal information to people they meet on the internet. This applies especially to addresses, phone numbers and what school they go to.”
Parents should also be cautious if a child says someone they met playing a game wants to make contact which involves chatting.
Any concerns should be reported to Cheshire Police or on the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre website ceop.police.uk which also has information on how to protect children on the internet.