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The Brockville Police Service and Kinette Club of Brockville co-sponsor the Child Identification Program in Brockville as "Partners for a Safe & Healthy Community". Police have taken hundreds of photographs of area children and also obtained a thumb print, which is placed on a laminated card and is given to parents for safekeeping. Equipment for the Child Identification Program, such as the camera, film, identification cards, and ink for the fingerprints, is donated by our sponsors, D&D Tree Service, and the Rotary Club of Brockville. Without sponsors such as these businesses , the Child ID Program could not exist. Parents are also extremely supportive of this program, as they are with any steps which can help safeguard their children.
This year, the Brockville Police Service conducted numerous Child ID Programs, allowing parents a chance to attend and obtain the card for their kids. ID Booths have been set up during Police Week at the 1000 Islands Mall, the Old Fashioned Picnic at St. Lawrence Park, Jumbo Video in the Brockville Shopping Centre and Wal-Mart.
Sgt. Locke at 1000 Islands Mall
Unfortunately, children are abducted and go missing each day in Canada. It is crucial that the police receive a current photograph of the child immediately. Having a fingerprint as well is invaluable for this priority police investigation. These photographs and fingerprints can be scanned and be distributed to law enforcement agencies across Canada and the United States within minutes.
Some safety tips for parents to help protect your child's well-being in public:
- It may seem harmless and cute, but a t-shirt or sweatshirt with your child’s name on it, could be a lure to an abuser or abductor. A child is more likely to trust someone who knows his/her name and might not know the abductor has learned it from reading their t-shirt. It’s a simple thing to avoid and it puts distance between a child and an abductor.
- Never leave a child alone in a public place, nor in a stroller or car. Not even for a minute. A lot can happen in a minute!
- Accompany your small children to the bathroom and teach them not to play in and around the area. If you are a women with a little boy who is too old for the Ladies washroom, wait directly outside the door. If the child is in the bathroom for longer than you expect, ask a man to go in, look for him and report back to you.
- Keep and up-tp-date photo of your child. A school or other professional picture is good. If you’d rather take the picture yourself, keep it full-face, simple and clear. Take a new one each year. Record changes in height, weight, and hair colouring each time you take your child in for a yearly physical as these are things that constantly change as a child grows.
- Know your children’s friends and their addresses, where they play, even where they hide. These are things that don’t take much time, but each one contributes to your child’s safety, as well as your peace of mind.
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