Police have noted with concern the circulation of a hoax media statement, supposedly issued by the SAPS, giving advice on what people should do if they come across lost children.
In the statement, which has since gone viral, false contact numbers which have nothing to do with the SAPS have been provided for people to call if they need police assistance. The SAPS would like to state for the record that the police service distances itself from this statement, as it was not issued by the police or any of its provinces or divisions.
“If anything, the author of the statement is being mischievous and causing the public unnecessary confusion, especially regarding a matter as serious as the safety of children,” say police.
Had this been authentic information from a genuine person, it would have been sent to the nearest police station for the proper procedures to be followed.
In order to stop the confusion being caused by this statement, police wish to point out that as part of their safety tips to children and parents, children are encouraged to learn their parents’ contact numbers and their home address by heart. Parents, on the other hand, should do their best to know where their children are at all times.
In instances where children find themselves lost or out of place, and are feeling vulnerable, the SAPS encourages them to run to SAFE adults for assistance or call the police emergency number, which is 10111. The SAPS’s correct number to use for any child or adult in desperate need of police assistance is 10111.
Additional safety tips for children and all South Africans are freely available on the SAPS’s official website.
