A NEW police website has been launched to help young people in Wiltshire stay safe from crime.

Youth Zone is an extension of the existing Wiltshire Police website and intends to offer a one-stop shop for young people to get advice and information on a number of topics.

The new site is split into three distinct age ranges - under 11s, 11-16 and over 16s - with each providing tailored topics and content.

Each area has a focus on online safety but also covers topics to raise awareness of relevant issues to each age group, such as crossing the road safely for under 11s and serious crimes such as hate crime, domestic violence and sexual abuse aimed at over 16s.

Youth Zone is also aimed at parents, teachers and officers as a resource for teaching young people about important subjects like online grooming and domestic abuse.

Youth and community officer, PC Sally Pullen, was the instigator for the Youth Zone website.

She said: “The Youth Engagement team are proud to launch the new Youth Zone website.

“The Youth Zone is a useful site which not only provides valuable crime prevention information and advice but also a source of reference for young people and schools which can be integrated into lessons and used as an educational tool. We look forward to hearing what our young people think.”

Sergeant Steve McGlynn, force lead for youth engagement and development, said: “Almost a third of the population of Wiltshire is made up of people under 24 years of age, so it’s vital that we engage and educate this important section of our community.”

To celebrate the launch of the site, a competition is being run where one lucky winner will win a tablet, kindly donated by the Bluez ‘N’ Zuz youth engagement initiative.

As part of the competition young people are being asked for their opinions of what they would like to see from Wiltshire Police.

For more information on the competition and to explore the site, visit www.wiltshire.police.uk.