Ceop that is Britain’s leading child protection agency is pursuing Facebook to add its safety button on its homepage or any other place on the website. Facebook, has been urged by Ceop head in a meeting held at Washington DC with Facebook officials.

Facebook earlier was condemned by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) centre for not having “panic buttons” on every page. According to Ceop’s director Jim Gamble that “panic button” issue is of the highest consideration after the murder of a teenager by a man who she met on the site. Facebook told he apprise the issues considerable and welcomes the meeting.

After the four-hour meeting, Mr Gamble said Facebook was “one small step from doing the right thing” but yet has not agreed to their demands. He told, “There is no doubt they are looking to improve their position around child safety and we recognise that. What I am looking for is turning words into action.” Chief constables from across England and Wales, including Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, have signed a letter supporting the addition of the extra safety feature on the Facebook. Earlier Facebook had commented that it would not install a “panic button” on its main pages for users to report suspected paedophiles.

According to Mr Gamble they received around 252 complaints about Facebook during the first three months of the year with 40% of them about the potential “grooming” of children. Complaint received to them was through e-mails and other means as there was not so much security features to do so on Facebook. However, “panic button” in question is already used many other websites, including Bebo as on clicking on the site there are instructions how to handle cyberbullying, hacking, viruses, distressing material and inappropriate sexual behaviour. And this issue has become of utmost priority of after the murder of 17-year old student Ashleigh Hall in Country Durham last October by Peter Chapman who she met through Facebook. Last month Chapman, 33, was imprisoned for at least 35 years for killing.