Students are helping tackle cyber crime reports Helen Mead

THE image of a child trapped in a cobweb spanning a deep, dark hole isn’t one you forget easily.

Created by 19-year-old Samiya Ahmad, it is one of a number that has been created by students studying photography at Bradford College, to warn people of all ages about the dangers they may face online.

Other striking, thought-provoking images include a simple picture of a computer screen highlighting the words ‘password found’ and two hoody-wearing teenagers, their faces blending in with the urban landscape, tapping away on their phones.

In the first project of its kind in Bradford, students are working alongside officers from West Yorkshire Police to produce eyecatching, evocative images that could be used in campaigns to alert others to the dangers of the internet.

While the internet is undoubtedly a useful resource for us all, it can also bring trouble, from cyberbullying and sexting - sending sexually provocative images, messages or video clips via a phone or internet - to grooming by sexual predators.

“We approached Bradford College as want the young people of Bradford to create messages for the wider community,” explains Detective Sergeant Jon Best of the child sexual exploitation unit “It is about saving people from becoming victims.

“For example people don’t protect their passwords well enough - they don’t hold them in the same regard as their pin number or door keys.”

He adds: “Young people often do not always see the danger in sending appropriate images of themselves to another person.

“Parents need to be vigilant. They believe their children are safe in their bedrooms, when that is not necessarily the case.”

Cyber crime is on the increase but police in Bradford insist that 92 per cent of it could be prevented. West Yorkshire Police has made strides in tackling cyber crime, with the recruitment of skilled staff to provide cutting edge skills and the latest techniques in combating it.

The issues are under the spotlight as today marks World Safer Internet Day, coinciding with e-safety week in Bradford.

The students are focussing on three areas: password protection, sexting and the dark web.

“It is about raising awareness - simple things like choosing a password that is hard to hack,” says cyber coordinator for Bradford district PCSO Steve Atkinson. “We are more cautious in the real world. It has been challenging for the students to come up with ideas and they are producing some fantastic work.”

Student Mahmood Butt, 17, believes that it is vital to raise awareness. “We are showing the dangers and how things like sexting can happen at any time and passwords can be hacked. We are all vulnerable.”

Fellow student Maja Mazur, 18, adds: “You can’t really trust people these days. We call people ‘friends’ but we don’t really know them. We do so much online like shopping and social media so we should take our security really seriously.”

Some people, she says, still use consecutive numbers or letters as pass codes and use the same ones for all their accounts. “It is just laziness or people think they won’t be able to remember, but it is really risky.“

“This is a really worthwhile project,” says Louanna Winch, neighbourhood policing team coordinator for Bradford South and East: ”Facebook, for instance, has been here for 12 years now and had a massive impact, as has Twitter, with usage going up and up. People should exercise care and be alert to what can go wrong.”

West Yorkshire Police receive calls from members of the public asking how to block certain information streams on social media.

People can easily be identified through social media. “Their school uniform with its identifying crest is often shown or the university they attend,” says Louanna. “And we have parents creating Facebook accounts for children who are below the minimum age of 13 set down by Facebook.”

Photography lecturer Mike Tipping is overseeing the project with colleague Gemma Breese.

“This is about communicating using art and design but it also gives the students an insight into the world of cyber crime and how it could affect them,” he says. “ It is also a good lesson for the future to be working with a client like West Yorkshire Police. It is a ‘win win’ project.”

Adds Gemma: “They are learning things about the internet that they did not know - vital information about the dangers it presents. The target audience is not only their own demographic - cyber crime can affect anyone.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson says that tackling cyber crime is a main area of focus for the force.