THE CRIME PREVENTION PEOPLE™
The ideas of this page were shared by Safety Kids (safetykids.org) and the S.M.I.L.E. Organization (smileclowns.org).
What We Teach Children
According to the FBI, less than 5% of every child abductions perpetrated in the USA are committed by a "stranger" (someone the child or their parent does not know). The majority of children are abducted by a person the child knows or thinks they know (an acquaintance).
If we as Crime Prevention Practitioners teach the concept of "Stranger Danger," we are teaching a safety concept that will be useful in less than 5% of the situations.
To teach 100% safety we need to teach children to CHECK FIRST with their parent and get permission before they go ANYWHERE, with ANYONE, at ANYTIME.
For more information on WHAT to teach, please go to the Safety Kids website.
How We Teach Children
Rather than thinking that you're going to "lower yourself" to a child's lever of comprehension, the S.M.I.L.E. (Safety Magic In Law Enforcement) Organization suggests you RAISE YOURSELF to a child's level or creativity and imagination!
How we approach children is just as important as the message. We can present the information using the "3 R's" of safety education.
Response - use humor and audience involvement
Repetition - repeat your messages, particularly at the end of the presentation to recap.
Retention - reinforce your messages with easy to understand slogans that the children repeat to you at the end of the presentation.
To learn more about this approach, visit the website of the S.M.I.L.E. Organization.
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