(HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON.) – Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Haldimand County detachment is investigating a suspicious person incident at a Marley Crescent, Jarvis, Haldimand County, ON address.
On Monday September 30th, 2013 at approximately 3:30 pm two young girls reported that they were followed home from school by an unknown vehicle and person. The vehicle is described as a black smaller size car with white stripes down the side being driven by a white male driver in his 40’s. He was last seen wearing an orange T – shirt.
The vehicle followed the girls until they reached their house and when they looked at the vehicle and driver it fled the scene.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1 – 888 – 310 -1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1 – 800 – 222 – TIPS (8477) or leave an anonymous online message at www.helpsolvecrime.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.
Parents please review the rules of stranger danger.
·Talk to your children about who a stranger is, and also the people they can trust.
We don’t want our children to be paranoid, but alert and wary of people they don’t know.
·What does a stranger look like? They can be young or old, male or female.
·Children need to understand that if someone they don’t know approaches them to offer a ride, ask for directions, takes an interest in what they doing, offers them something for free or want help looking for something, such as a lost animal they need to step back, say no thank you and run to a safe place (school, home, police station etc.) and immediately tell an adult they trust. (Ex. parent, schoolteacher)
·If someone grabs your child and tries to pull them into a car, the bushes, a building or wherever, tell them to kick, scream, drop to the ground, grab onto a post, a tree or even a car tire, and keep screaming for help.
·Use the buddy system. Always have your child walk with someone else, a friend, brother or a sister. Remember safety in numbers.
·Always know the route your child is walking to school, a friend’s house or the park. This way if your child does go missing or is late, you have an area to start to look for them. Tell them that it is better to be late than to take short cuts through back alleys, or back yards.
·If your child does go to a friend’s house unexpectedly, have them call so you know where they are.
·Always reassure your child that they can call you for rides whenever they need it, and sometimes even with no questions ask from you the parent.
·Develop a password for your family. The password is a secret word that only family members know. This way if a stranger tries to pick up your child from school, the arena or wherever a child might be, all they do is simply ask for the password. If the password is not given then the child should run away and tell a trusted adult.
·Consider having your child fingerprinted with an identity kit. This will give you important information if and when it is ever needed.
·If you see a suspicious vehicle in your neighbourhood, or a vehicle near the park with someone watching the children, report it. Call the police at once and give a description of the vehicle and occupant(s). Better safe than sorry.
Above all parents need to take the time to be there and listen to their child. Always keep that open line of communication. Starting young, will pay off when they are teenagers.