Keighley MP Ann Cryer is supporting calls for the use of mobile phones by young people to be curbed.

She has given her backing to the campaign, launched in the Keighley News last week, to drive "mobile muggers" from the town's streets.

The high-profile initiative follows a startling rise in the number of handset robberies.

An incredible 80 per cent of victims of mobile phone robberies in the town are aged between 12 and 18.

In the latest shocking incident, in Mornington Road, a teenage girl had a knife held to her throat by a man demanding her phone.

The assailant escaped with the handset.

With children as young as eight now openly using mobile phones on the street, and taking them into the classroom, fears are growing for youngsters' safety.

Police and crime prevention experts increasingly believe that the security benefits of providing a young person with a mobile phone are being outweighed by the potential danger placed on the child at the hands of muggers.

And parents are being urged to think twice about allowing their children unlimited access to handsets.

Mrs Cryer said: "Mobile phones can be invaluable. Mine is a gem and with my job, which involves a lot of travelling, I couldn't be without it. My office needs to be able to contact me.

"But I agree that in terms of young people having them for security purposes, it seems any benefit is off-set by the temptation created for other youngsters to steal them.

"I would be reluctant to say that children shouldn't have mobile phones full stop, but it ought to be restricted to situations where there is a very good reason to carry one."

She added: "Just take the handset with you when it is going to be advantageous to have it, rather than carrying it as a matter of routine.

"Also when you have to use it in the street, try to do so discreetly.

"Many children have enough responsibilities nowadays without extra worries about their safety."

She supports the stance taken by most schools, which insist that pupils do not use handsets on the premises.

In the next few weeks, Keighley police officers will be visiting secondary schools to speak to students about personal safety and about the various methods of protecting phones against theft.

Also it is hoped to establish a system whereby each school -- in liaison with the police -- would keep a log of each child's mobile phone, the serial number and service operator.

Details of a stolen phone could then quickly be processed and the handset rendered useless to the thief.

Det Insp Christopher Moorehouse said: "The number of mobile phone robberies in this police division has risen dramatically and it is normally young people who are the victims.

"By taking a few relatively simple steps a lot can be done to help prevent these thefts.

"We have to remove any benefit to be gained by stealing a mobile phone."