Breck’s Last Game to be adopted down under

Breck’s Last Game, the short film about a 14-year-old boy who was murdered by a man he met on a gaming site, has now been viewed almost 1.7 million times around the world, and is set to be adopted down under.  

The Australian Federal Police have asked for permission to use the film to help protect the country’s young people. Their online safety advisor said: “We have recently come across Breck’s Last Game and think it is a valuable resource to educate the public about the risks associated with being online.  

“The video strongly aligns with our approach to educating around online safety, and we believe the story is an important one to share.”

Northamptonshire Police teamed up with Leicestershire, Surrey and Essex police forces to create the film, to help safeguard young people while encouraging victims to speak out. It tells the story of Surrey teenager Breck Bednar who was killed by Essex computer engineer Lewis Daynes in 2014.

It has been shown to thousands of children in classrooms across the four force areas and was made available for the general public to view online earlier this month.

Lorin LaFave of the Breck Foundation said: “I’m so pleased people in every corner of the globe can now easily access Breck’s Last Game so parents and young people can have the opportunity to have open and engaging discussions about their own online friends and behaviours and to ask themselves the question, ‘do you really know who your online friends are?’ ”

You can view Lorin talking about the importance of the Breck’s Last Game project.

Assistant Chief Constable James Andronov said: “Breck’s Last Game was created to help keep local children safe from harm. The fact that, via social media, it has grown organically to help children and parents on the other side of the globe is very pleasing.

“Awareness across continents is particularly pertinent when talking about the online world. Most of our investigations have an online element and some become international inquiries. It is crucial young people far and wide are educated in the potential risks of being online and that adults and children alike can recognise the signs of grooming.

“We are also sending out a strong message to perpetrators – we will not tolerate the exploitation of young people and we are committed to doing all we can to safeguard children, arrest offenders and bring them to justice.”