The Child Online Exploitation and Protection (CEOP) Centre is continuing to appeal to police officers to add its safety button on social networking site Facebook.

A spokeswoman for the organisation told PoliceOracle.com that it wanted law enforcement professionals to make sure they sent a clear message for young people to stay safe online.

She added: “We have written to all Chief Constables asking them to make their beat teams aware of the ClickCEOP application and help spread our message.

“We want officers to tell communities about the importance of online safety.”

The call came as CEOP revealed that its app – which gives a direct line to report problems as well as making guidance available to young people – had been downloaded 55,000 times on Facebook since its launch last month.

The button has so far been used 5,000 times on the social networking site, with 13 per cent receiving help with cyber-bullying issues. There were also 210 direct reports to CEOP, which deals with issues of grooming and suspicious behaviour.

The first of a series of online surgeries, hosted by a ClickCEOP safety advisor, has also been held to give advice to parents with children on summer holidays.

In addition, a host of child protection groups, organisations and fan sites, including Chelsea Football Club, the FA, the NSPCC and the X-Factor, have also thrown their weight behind the campaign but adding the application to their profiles.

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre, said he was delighted with the continued success of the initiative and the way it had been received.

He added: “The response to this campaign has been excellent so far – we are grateful to all those who have downloaded the app and shared it with their online networks.

“We are similarly grateful for all the support of all our partners and the virtual army of tens of thousands CEOP volunteers who are sharing the app at their schools, youth groups and online networks – we can make a difference.”