112th Precinct Community Council

Crime prevention for children

Crime prevention for children

All the information on this page is copied from the NYPD CRIME PREVENTION SECTION BOOKLET CRIME PREVENTION FOR CHILDREN- with permission of the 112th precinct
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Children are naturally trusting especially with adults. It's difficult for parents to teeach children to balance the trust with caution. Today, children need to learn how to react to dangerous situations using common senses to keep them safe. They should be reinforced in a gentle manner and be provided with effective rules to avoid some tough situations. This will build the self confidence they need to handle emergencies.

It is important to realize that when developing personal safety skills in your child, they must be taught as you would teach other subjects.
Tell - the basic rules
Show - how to do/say the rules you are teaching
Practice -how your child should react and what they should say.

Basics

1. From an early age, children should be taught their full name, the name of their parents or guardian, their address and telephone number with the area code.

2. Teach them how to use the telephone to call 911 or 0 if an emergency occurs and how a public phone works. Practice periodically on a disconnected phone.

3. Children learn best from good examples: lock doors and windows , alway identify your caller before opening your door.

4.keep open communication with your children. Listen to their feelings and fears about people and places with which they feel unconfortable.
Help them to learn to trust their instincts.


STREET SAFETY

Get to know your children's friends. Keep their addresses and telphone numbers in a safe place.
Besides tellying your child to avoid shortcuts walk the neighborhood with them and show them the safe places to go, each as a trusted neighbor's house or business

Save expensive items of jewelry or clothing for special occassions. If someone demands money or other items belonging to your child, tell your child to hand it over, you would not be mad because his or her life is worth so much more.

Encourage children to play in groups , not alone. Besides being safe it is more fun.

Tell your children never to go with or talk to strangers. To reinforce this statement, make sure your child knows what a stranger is. It could be a man or woman, anyone that you do not know.
It is also very important to teach them to be on the lookout for certain kinds of situations or actions rather than certain kinds of individuals.

Children should learn to stay away from individuals in cars or vans. Teach them that it is OK to say no , even to an adult. They should check with their parents or guardian before getting into a car or leaving with anyone, even someone that they know.


Latchkey Child safeety Guidelines
Children should be taught the following guidelines for their safety:
Be sure that no one is near the entrance tof your home before you enter.

If the door is open or windows are broken when arriving home, do not eneter. Go to a neighbor or friend's house and telephone police.
Seek permission from your parent or guardian before going into anyone's home.

If you are being followed or are in danger, go to a place where there are people, ie a neighbor or grocery store.

When answering the telepohne , tell the caller that your parents are busy and cannot come to the telephone at this time. Never say that your parents are not at home.
Do not open the door for anyone unless instructed by your parents, and do not let the visitor know there is no adult at home.
Tell your parents if anyone asks you to keep a secret, offers gifts or money or asks you to take your picture.

Do not allow anyone to take a picture of you. If they do anyway , tell your parentss immediately.

Always tell your parents if something happened while you were on your own that made you feel unconfortable in any way.
WEar clothing that does not display your name.
Wear your house keys in a concealed place.
It may send a signal that your're home alone if it is visibly displayed.

SEXUAL ABUSE _PROTECTING YOUR CHILD

Because children cannot look out for themselves, it is our responsibilitiy as parents to foresee problems they might encounter.
The most important key to child safety is an open, effective communication with your child.
Establish an atmosphere in your home in which your child feels truly confortable in discussing sensitive matters and relating experiences in which someone may have approached the child in an inappropriate manner or in a way that would have made your child uncomforatble.

Children can be raised to be polite and friendly but it is ok to say no to anyone who tries to touch him or her in a way that makes them feel frightened, unconfortable or confused. HAve them get away and tell a trusted adult.

Allow your child to develop a sense of authority early on by not forcing him.her to kiss a grownup or sit on a grownup's lap if they don't want to. this gives the child control and teaches them that they have the right to refuse.
Children should not be asked to keep special secrets from their parents.

Email us
council112@yahoo.com