SAPS’ schools safety campaign a success
Almost 6 000 brochures were distributed to 23 principals to disseminate to their respective schools.
WITH safety as the main priority for learners, the Brighton Beach police launched this year’s back-to-school awareness project on Friday, 5 February.
Aimed at conditioning parents, guardians and caregivers of their responsibilities towards children, it further strengthened the relationship between the police and schools in the area.
“Educators will ensure that an educational brochure is availed to parents of each learner. This will be by means of placing these in the homework book of the child.”
Principals and educators will, through the use of WhatsApp groups, promote the project,” said communications officer, Captain Louise le Roux who created and generated the campaign.
Almost 6 000 brochures were distributed to 23 principals to disseminate to their respective schools.
Aspects highlighted in the brochure:
- Ensuring that parents have a current photo of their child. This will help the police track and trace the child, should he or she get abducted, lost at a public place or run away from home.
- Parents should compile a name list of their child’s friends, their contact details and that of their parents. These contacts can assist the police should a child be reported missing.
- Parents must encourage their children not to talk to, take novelties, sweets or monies from strangers.
- Parents must condition their children not to take lifts from strangers.
- Parents must mentor their children not to deviate from the route they have planned out for them when travelling to and from school. They must be discouraged from taking shortcuts through parks, sports fields or staircases.
- Parents must ensure that the mode of transport being used by their children conforms to the Road Traffic Act, such as the driver having a valid public driver’s permit (PDP), driver’s license, and that the mode of transport is roadworthy. They must be instructed to enter the school grounds when dropped off at school and not loiter outside, in the street or at shopping complexes. It is safer inside the school grounds.
- Parents, guardians or caregivers’ information must be updated on school records. The school and police have difficulty in tracing parents in cases of emergency, as cell phone numbers, work contact details, as well as home and work addresses, are outdated.
- Parents must ensure that, if their children take scheduled medication, that a letter accompanies the child to school, that the school is contacted, and that the medication is handed into the front office. Children are not allowed to have any form of medication on their person or in school bags, nor allowed to consume such without adult supervision on the school premises. Learners are also not permitted to administer medication to each other on school premises.
Contact details of organisations that support the safety and welfare of a child were also provided in the brochure.
On behalf of the SAPS Brighton Beach management, Le Roux expressed appreciation towards principals and educators who have embraced the project with enthusiasm and for their willingness to support our crime prevention initiative.
