Back-to-school safety tips

Police offered some handy safety tips for parents as learners returned to school across the country this week.

These tips are part of the SAPS’s “adopt-a-cop” campaign, according to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello.

Safety tips:

– Ensure kids have safely entered the schoolyard before driving off when dropping them off.

– Teach children to move away from strangers at all times and to never tell strangers their name or where they live.

– Do not write children’s names or details on their backpacks or where it will be easily accessible and visible to strangers.

– Encourage children to use the “buddy system” to avoid walking or playing alone outside or in public spaces.

– Practice basic safety skills with your child and teach them to memorise important information, particularly emergency contact details.

– Act immediately by reporting to your nearest police station if you suspect your child may be missing.

“The SAPS in Gauteng is committed to ensuring schools in the province are a safe environment for learners,” Sello said.

She also explained that the partnerships between the police and schools were established and sustained to enable school management to have a designated police officer who served as a point of contact to access the services which the school might need from the police.

“The designated police officers are responsible for creating awareness at schools and teaching learners about the dangers of bullying, substance abuse, dealing in drugs, carrying of dangerous weapons and gangsterism, among other things,” Sello said.

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