SUSSEX Police have made the first arrest using information handed to them on a new social media account targeted at youngsters.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested for sexual offences, after the force’s dedicated Snapchat channel received a tip-off.

Sussex Police, one of the few police forces in the country to use the social media app popular with teens, said they were pleased with the response from young people.

The app has seen police officers taking selfies and making videos with teens to promote Internet Safety Day and giving advice on nude selfies, drugs and bullying in an attempt to engage 18 to 24-year-olds on the topics.

Youth engagement officer PC Claire Kilroy, who fronts the channel with her colleague PC Jan Szaranek, said: “The feedback has been really positive.

“We have lots of fun with it and we have to make it engaging.

“Our audience don’t want to be lectured.

“We try to portray ourselves as fun and approachable and hopefully that comes across on Snapchat.”

Messages sent to police on the app are monitored and from them officers have received information on drugs, bullying, child sexual exploitation and a missing girl, although officers discourage teens from reporting crime on the app.

Since launching their Snapchat in August last year, the force has built up a following of 2,100 users according to figures obtained in a freedom of information request by The Argus.

James Armstrong, communications manager for Sussex Police, said: “We originally started snapping at Brighton Pride last year and we got a lot of views.

“So we decided to use it in a more tailored way.

“We found our audience was mostly young and we decided to pilot with our schools liaisons officers.

“We found it worked really nicely and we had great feedback.

“The focus is we use it in the same way other users use it, instead of using it in a corporate way.

“Once we realised a big group of young people were engaging, who weren’t responding on Facebook and Twitter, we realised we could get some important information across like Safer Internet Day.”

The channel is promoted in schools and online.

West Midlands Police were the first force to use the app in 2014.

Sussex Police said the teenager from Hastings was arrested on July 3.

He has been released under investigation.

Members of the public can follow Sussex Police on Snapchat by adding sussex_police