A POLICE officer has issued a warning after reports that Hampshire children have been contacted by apparent Islamist militants.

Schools in the county and Isle of Wight allgedly said pupils raised the alarm following social media requests, which came from people with “unusual” names and “funny symbols”.

Isis claimed responsibility killing 130 in Paris last week.

It is not clear if the requests are specifically targeted at young people but police are raising awareness of the matter.

PC Maria Carrick said: "We have been made aware by education establishments and young people in Hampshire and IOW of suspicious 'friend' requests being made through social media accounts; describing those making contact as being from 'ISIS'.

“Our advice to you is to make young and vulnerable people aware of this risk – speak to them, reassure them that they can speak to you, and warn them not to accept friend requests from any person they don’t know, particularly those who appear to be linked to extremist groups.

“This message is one step of a broad plan to ensure we raise awareness in order to keep young people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight informed and safe.

“Our plan includes further investigation and ongoing communication of information as it becomes available.”

Anyone who has received a request or is concerned can contact Hampshire Police on 101.