Facebook has announced a raft of new measures to "transform social networking safety."

The move is in response to calls to step up online security. It means fans will be able to report any unwanted or suspicious behaviour directly to child protection organisations.

Managers have agreed to establish a new 24-hour police hotline, dedicated to helping with emergencies, investigations and prosecutions.

The internet giant had been roundly criticised for defying calls to install a "panic" button on the networking site to help protect its 23 million users.

Bosses were urged on Monday to "turn words into action" following a four-hour showdown meeting in Washington DC with Jim Gamble, Britain's most senior official responsible for protecting youngsters online.

Mr Gamble said Facebook had not not agreed to his demands outright but acknowledged the popular social networking destination was "one small step from doing the right thing".

Safety experts hailed Facebook's new measures, which are designed to give individuals greater control of their online safety.

Independent child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas termed the move a "considerable step forward in online safety" while Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, said the site was taking "a thoughtful, proactive approach to safety on the web".

The new safety measures provided by Facebook will include a "safety centre" to supply parents, teachers, teenagers and police with improved resources.

To back up the series of initiatives, the site will invest another £5 million in education and awareness.

It will also provide safety organisations with one billion advertisements on the site over the next two years to ensure users know what to do if they feel threatened.

Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Policy at Facebook, said there was "no single answer" to making the internet safer.

But he added: "The investments and partnerships we've announced today - in direct reporting, in education and awareness, and in greater support for law enforcement - will transform social networking safety and security."

The company has now called on the Government to consider new ways in which to share information about registered sex offenders securely with social networks.

They believe this could help prevent dangerous individuals from accessing their services.