The Far South Coast command’s youth liaison officers are cracking down on internet crime, and cyber bullying among children and teenagers.

Senior Constable Adrian Seal is the school liaison officer for the Far South Coast and Monaro commands and says parents should closely monitor their child’s profile on social media sites, including Facebook.

“For most parents, they probably don’t really know how many criminal offences there actually are on the internet,” he said.

“And I don’t think kids think about the consequences.”

He said the main internet offences, which can carry penalties of up to 10 years’ jail, include stalking, intimidation and harassment, luring, threatening serious harm, sending offensive material and sexting - which involves sending sexually explicit photographs.

“For a lot of young people sexting, they probably don’t realise it’s a criminal offence,” Snr Const Seal said. “They just think what they’re doing is harmless. But as soon as they hit the send button, they have no control over it. It’s out there, in the public domain.

“For threatening serious harm to someone, all they have to prove is that the third party (or the victim) meant it.”

He said that carries 10 years’ jail.

Internet and social media sites are now a part of everyday life, according to Snr Const Seal, which makes it easier for bullying to occur.

Snr Const Seal said writing nasty messages about someone over the internet took away the face-to-face aspect of bullying.

“And rumours spread easily on the internet, and it’s harder to track down offenders and know their geographic location.”

He said a lot of it goes unreported.

“The problem is a lot of kids are scared to come forward.”

Batemans Bay’s youth liaison officer Senior Constable Gina Hamilton works closely with children in primary schools, and says the vulnerable ages of 10 to 14 were most prone to cyber bullying.

“Cyber bullying will not be tolerated,” she said. “It’s a big issue everywhere and it’s out of control. And, it’s against the law.”

She urged parents to step in.

“Parents should always be able to access a child’s profile and have their password,” she said.

According to Snr Const Hamilton, a child who is being bullied will show signs of depression, making excuses to skip school, low self esteem, anxiety and fear and anger. She said parents should act as quickly as possible, and listen to their children.

“When kids see any sort of bullying, they should turn the computer off so there’s not the emotional side to it, and keep a copy of it,” she said.

To report cyber crime, contact Batemans Bay Police 4472 0099, Crimestoppers 1800 333 000 or for support in bullying cases, visit www.cybersmart.gov.au.