With students returning to school, the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are reminding caregivers to speak to their children about the importance of staying safe.
Police suggest caregivers:
– survey their neighbourhood for obvious hazards or dangerous areas, and discuss the dangers of these types of locations, including abandoned buildings, construction sites or difficult intersections;
– develop an anticipated travel route to and from school, and have the child call if they plan to deviate from the expected route;
– encourage the child to use the buddy system, and travel to school with someone else, remembering there is safety in numbers;
– talk about who a stranger is, and also the people their children can trust;
– report any suspicious vehicles or activity to police immediately, and if possible, provide a description of the vehicle and/or occupants; and
– advise that if someone the child doesn’t know approaches them, to say “no thank you,” get to a safe place (school, home, etc.), and immediately tell an adult that they trust.
For additional community safety information, visit www.opp.ca community issues, for helpful links, and personal safety tip sheets.
