Deborah Starr Baribeau asked 5 years ago
I’m planning to give both of my children de-activated cell-phones that can still dial 911 in case of emergencies, since they’re old enough to not need constant adult supervision now. Money is too tight for us to want to get them active cell phones of their own, but I’d feel better knowing they had a way of getting help in an emergency. I just want to ask if I should tell them to call 911 if a stranger bothers them – asking them to go with him/her, offering something, or asking them for help, etc.
They’re 10 and 11 years old, so they should be able to tell whether a situation requires the call or not; I just wanted to check if it was appropriate to advise them that they should call if they think they’re being targeted by a predator. While I feel that should definitely constitute an emergency, I’m not aware of the official policy in such a situation.
They’re tired of being the only ones among their friends who aren’t allowed to go anywhere or do anything without supervision, but I really want them to be safe. We live in Pain Court, which is a small town where this should be fine. I just want to know whether it’s acceptable for them to call 911 if they’re frightened or worried by the behaviour of a stranger when there aren’t any trusted adults around, or if they need an alternate method of reporting it.
Chatham-Kent Police Service Staff answered 5 years ago
Keeping our children safe is a priority for our Police Service. If your kids believe someone is following them or has approached them, please encourage them to call 911 immediately. We would need them to give us a description of the person and / or vehicle. Having said, please also have a discussion with them as to what constitutes strange or unacceptable behaviour. We don’t want them calling 911 every time a ‘stranger’ looks at them.
