Public safety isn't helped by being absolutist about password strength, the head of the Government's Get Safe Online has warned.

Although strong passwords are better than weak ones, Tony Neate argues it is just as important to impress upon the public that any password is better than none - even if it's as simple as abc123.

"We use the analogy that 'if you haven't got a lock on your door, any lock is better than no lock,'" Neate, who is a retired police officer, told the Guardian. "But if you are going to put a lock on your door, the best one to put on is a five-lever mortise lock.

"It's the same analogy. I would recommend anyone to have a good, solid password. But if they haven't got a password then 'abc123' is a starting point.

"I'm not suggesting people should have abc123. But something is better than nothing, and I'm very pragmatic when it comes to passwords."

Neate was speaking at the launch of the Cyber to the Citizen initiative, launched in conjunction with BCS, the chartered institute for IT professionals. The scheme provides BCS members with the resources and training to educate their communities about online safety.

"The campaign is a personal baby," explained John Doody, the cyber lead for BCS Security. "I've been an evangelist in this subject for fifty-five years, and the last two or three years I've felt that not enough was being done with the citizen to educate them.

"My aim in achieving a partnership with Get Safe Online was… to spread the word, to educate people. I just want to get a group of people behind me to deliver a message: the internet is scary… but we can't do without it. It's a force multiplier."

As well as simple cyber-security advice, the Cyber to the Citizen initiative aims to teach how to ensure wellbeing online. Part of that involves spreading simple messages like "don't write things in an email you that you wouldn't be comfortable saying face to face".

"It's about respect, integrity, and trust," says Doody. "There's no over-the-shoulder accountability, they type what they feel. Particularly kids, who find it easier to say something either in text or emails, which can be referred to as bullying."

But security still lies at the heart of the project. "One of the most important things that we can ever speak to people about is passwords," says Neate. "People keep on saying passwords are going to be dead in four or five years… OK. But they're not now."

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