THE creators of a stay safe online portal have received recognition by West Mercia Chief Constable Paul West for their contribution at a special presentation.

James Green and Rojan Ali, West Mercia Police, were given their awards at County Hall by Det Supt Martin Lakeman and John Edwards, head of learning and achievement at Worcestershire County Council, for their work on WES, an online portal providing information to help young people, parents and carers stay safe online.

It gives advice on understanding the risks and offers tips on staying away from dangers when using electronic media.

It also helps parents and carers with new technologies and how to keep their children safe online.

Following its February launch, the site, which has been developed through the E-safety group of the Worcestershire Safeguarding children board, has had more than 7,000 hits.

John Edwards, the county council's head of learning and achievement, said: "As a parent, I am only too aware of how important raising awareness is with parents and carers, who can sometime lag behind their children when it comes to using and understanding the internet and new technologies."

Det Supt Lakeman said: “The WES portal has been a great success, with extremely positive feedback from schools and user groups.

“With a few simple pieces of knowledge, parents can help to keep their children safe online. WES caters for all ages and with information about issues such as social networking, gaming, mobile phones and cyber bullying.”

To see the WES portal, visit wes.networcs.net