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Police talk about road safety and more at Gerrit Maritz Primary

Police in Westonaria as well as public safety members visited Laerskool Gerrit Maritz Primary to hold a safety talk and give demonstrations.

Westonaria Police visited Laerskool Gerrit Maritz Primary to give a safety talk and demonstrate to kids what officers of the law do. They also addressed some of the social crimes experienced in schools.

Superintendent Gladys Mantlhakga from Rand West Public Safety said their role for the day was to sensitize learners regarding the rules of the road and road safety in general.

The demonstration took place on the school’s sports ground on Monday, March 6.

The officers were joined by their colleagues from the Bekkersdal Police Station, as well as representatives from the West Rand District Municipality Fire and Rescue Department, and those from the Rand West City Traffic Department (RWCTD).

Speaking to the Herald in an interview, RWCTD superintendent Gladys Mantlhakga said this is one of their many visits to local schools.

Sergeant Kamogelo Banda from Bekkersdal SAPS took the time to address learners about social crimes and the dangers thereof.

“The whole point of this event is to engage with learners on a holistic level and inform them of our services while each stakeholder demonstrated what their departments do.

“As public safety, our responsibility is to enforce the rules of the road and warned learners why accidents may occur on roads. We currently deploy our officers around different schools in the mornings, to monitor road safety, for not only the motorists but the learners’ sake. While this is good in ensuring road safety, it’s also imperative that we teach learners to identify and know the road signs and rules to ensure that they are always safe while on the road,” said Mantlhakga.

Sibusiso Mashile from the Wet Rand District Municipality Fire and Rescue Department showed learners at the school how he puts out fires in his line of work.

Meanwhile, police also had their turn and sensitised the children about social crimes and spoke about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, as well as carrying toy guns to school.

Representatives from different stakeholders took positions before the start of the event and waited on the learners to get ready for the event.

This is because despite the gun being a toy, it does instill fear in other learners and may have the potential of starting a trend of violence.

Sibusiso Mashile from the West Rand District Municipality Fire and Rescue Department demonstrated how he and his team sometimes make use of the jaws of life, to free people who are trapped inside their cars during horrible accidents.

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