WILTSHIRE Police has has started a crackdown aimed at preventing cyber crime across the county.

Writing in his monthly column chief constable Mike Veale said 80 per cent of cyber crime could be stopped through simple online safety.

He says Neighbourhood Policing Teams have been visiting towns highlighting the problem and giving out advice.

"The message behind the work of the cadets was ‘Be Polite’," he said. "All too often we are seeing examples of ‘keyboard warriors’ – people commenting online with vile messages they would never dream of saying to someone’s face. This has to stop.

"In many cases, incidents on social media could be better dealt with by simply blocking the person involved, or reporting it to Facebook."

He said the rise of social media had placed additional strain on the police — especially at a time when police budgets are being cut.

"We have a strategy in place to deal with the rise in demand and are investing in training for staff to ensure robust cyber crime investigations are carried out where appropriate," he said.

"I also cannot stress enough the importance of a joined up approach to this issue and, as a result, we are focusing on effective partnership working to ensure staff are educated and prepared to deal successfully with the growing demands of the digital age.

"However, it is not just our officers and staff that need to understand the dangers of new technology."

In Wiltshire people aged 11 to 30 are most likely to be affected by cyber crime while those between 40 and 49 are statistically more likely to be hit by online fraud.

He added: "These figures reinforce the importance of educating our young people of the dangers they face online to ensure they are protected.

"We cannot do it alone - we need your help to change the attitudes of our youngsters.

"We will continue to work with our local schools to ensure children are fully aware of the consequences."