Here's
what children need to know:
- Their name, age,
telephone number, address, city and province. This can be done through rhyme or song.
- How to contact
their parents at any time, by memorizing cell or work numbers.
- How and under what
circumstances to call 911.
- To never approach
or enter a stranger's vehicle. A
responsible adult would never ask a child for directions or any other
question for that matter.
- Make sure they
know they have a right to say "no" to an adult, especially when
the adult is asking them to do something they have been taught is wrong or
feels uncomfortable. Reminding
children of this right is important because children are taught from a
young age to respect adults.
- To always tell
parents where they will be and to never enter someone's home without their
parent's permission.
- If home alone,
never admit it when answering the phone. Never answer a knock at the door
or speak through it. Adults can be
very persuasive. Teach your child
to call you if there is a knock at the door and if they fear for their
safety, teach them to call 911.
Make sure they know that police officers are there to help them and
would not get mad if it were a false alarm.
- If they think they
are being followed or are in danger they should run home or to a public
place. If someone grabs them, they
should try to get away, yelling and screaming while doing so.
- It is important to
play in safe areas, never take shortcuts and stick with a buddy whenever
possible.
It
is never too early or too late to teach children the importance of personal
safety. Common sense, communication and
consistency are the keys. Remind children to alert a responsible adult if
something strange happens that makes them feel uncomfortable. Remember, crime
prevention is everyone's responsibility.
For
more information on this subject, visit www.yrp.ca.
