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.
The demonstration took place on the school’s sports ground on Monday, March 6.
• Also read: Westonaria police hold school safety talk
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.
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.
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.
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.
• Also read: Westonaria police pays Venterspos Primary a visit
