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Children are naturally trusting. It can be hard to teach them to balance
this trust with caution. But children today need to know common-sense
rules that can help keep them safe, and they need to build the
self-confidence to handle emergencies effectively. As a caregiver you
can:
• Make sure
children know their full name, address (including city and state),
and phone number (including area code). Be sure they know how to
call " 9-1-1 " or "0" (operator) in emergencies. Practice making
emergency calls with a make-believe or a disconnected phone.
• Remind children never to talk to strangers or accept rides
or gifts from strangers. Young children tend to think that strangers
are ugly, scary people who wear black hats and lurk in the dark.
Clarify that a stranger is anyone parent and child don't know well
and don't trust.
• Take time to listen carefully to a child's fears and
feelings about people or places that scare him or make him feel
uneasy. Tell him to trust his instincts. Let the child know he can
tell you anything, and that you'll be supportive.
• Encourage children to stay with friends, not play alone.
Always know where your child is, what she is doing, and who she is
with.
• Make sure children are taking the safest routes to and from
school, stores, and friends' houses. Walk the routes together and
point out places to go for help. Encourage children to tell an
adult---you, a teacher, a neighbor, a police officer---about
anything that doesn't seem quite right.
• Remind children that no one---not even a teacher or close
relative---has the right to touch them in a way that makes them feel
uncomfortable, and that the right thing to do is say no, get away,
and tell an adult who will help them.
• Discuss with children the things that pose special dangers
in your community.
Help
your child review needed home security skills:
• Have him
check in with you or a neighbor when he gets home. Agree on rules
for having friends over and for going to a friend's house when no
adult is home.
• Tell her
not to let anyone into the home without your permission, and never
to let a caller at the door or on the phone know there's no adult at
home. She can say her parents are busy and take a message.
COMMUNITY SERVICES UNIT
The
Community Services Unit of the Columbia Police Department is responsible
for making residents aware of techniques that lessen the potential for
crime. The unit is also responsible for teaching DARE (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education) in elementary, middle and high schools in the
city.
When
officers conduct residential and commercial security surveys, they make
safety recommendations. These could include improvements to lighting and
door and window security. If new door locks or window pins are needed,
an officer makes arrangements for the service. The owner only has to pay
for the hardware.
Officers
are also available to give crime prevention presentations to community,
school, church and civic groups. They conduct and participate in child
safety.
McGruff® and the "Take a Bite out of Crime®" slogan are registered
marks of the National Crime Prevention Council. |
