Police provide back to school safety tips to protect children

BRIGHTON Beach police are encouraging parents to ensure that their children’s safety is a priority as they embarked on the 2023 academic year this week.

Captain Louise le Roux, the Brighton Beach police spokesperson, said she has created a pamphlet which provides principles to safeguard children when occupying public spaces.

Seven hundred pamphlets were distributed at the Hillside Mall and Bluff Towers on The Bluff on Tuesday.

Le Roux said the safety and wellness of children remained a priority for police.

“The police, together with their partners in policing and educational institutes, must work together with custodians of children to create safer school and public spaces,” she said.

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Here are some of the guidelines provided in the pamphlet:

– When leaving your home, take note of the clothing your child is wearing. Dress children in bright color clothing for easier identification.
– Don’t let your child visit public toilet facilities without adult supervision. Ensure that the toilet window is closed and that a responsible person is static outside the toilet door. Continue to ask the minor in the cubical if they are okay.
– Ensure that you have a current photo of your child. This will assist the police to track and trace your child, should he or she get abducted, lost at a public place or run away from home. Have a name list of your child’s friends, their contact details and that of their parents. These contacts can assist the police should your child be abducted or run away from home.
– Instruct your child not to talk to, walk with or take a lift from a stranger, be it a man or woman. Instruct them not to take sweet treats, novelties or money from stranger. Create a culture with your child not to walk with or get into a vehicle with men and women known to them without prior permission from their parents, guardian or caregivers of which you as the responsible person must advise the child timeously if there is a change in arrangements with regards to transport/collection matters.

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-Instruct your child to always cross the road at a pedestrian crossing when one exists. Condition them not to cross a road running. When crossing a road, they must continuously look left and right for an oncoming speeding vehicle. – Instruct your child to always walk on the pavement facing oncoming traffic. Condition them not to cross a road at a sharp curve or where the road bends. When crossing a street at a traffic light ensure the child knows the meaning of the traffic lights.
– Instruct your child not to deviate from the route they travel on when walking or cycling to or from school. They must not take shortcuts through staircases, sport fields, parks or abandoned building or houses.
-Instruct your child not to engage monkeys or dogs, including that that are in enclosed properties. They must also refrain from throwing objects at the animals or taunting them.

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