Children at the Columbus house for boys and girls got a series of in-depth demonstrations and lectures by police officers yesterday during an interactive one-day safety session.
Authorities in the field of fire, firearms, substance abuse and physical development took the youngsters through a three-hour presentation about the fundamentals of each area, providing them with practical displays.
Constable #2120 Lamond Davis alongside K-9 Benji, unveiled how drugs are detected showing what to do in the event of encountering illegal substances.
“Do not accept packages or any bags from persons. If you do find drugs in places such as the school, report it immediately,” he explained.
The officer then described the need for education, offering his K-9 colleague as an example.
“Every job right now needs qualifications and like Benji who needs to keep training himself to learn how to pinpoint drugs, all of you need to keep studying to make it in life,” he said.
Firearms expert, sergeant #1106 Doyle Burrows instructed the youths on various fire services, the guidelines for fire safety and the importance of servicing the fire extinguisher.
He explained the properties of matches, smoke alarms and fire lighters and the parts they play. A powerful gun demonstration was presented by Corporal #2318 Jan Summers, a licensed firearms officer who interpreted a how-to if one was to find a firearm.
Corporals #1244 Chris Barr and #1891 Siobhan Johnson listed the stages of physical and personality development during adolescence, observing self-esteem as a crucial part in the growth of both girls and boys.
Spearheaded by Police Inspector Loretta Mackey and Community Affairs Co-ordinator Patrice Johnson, the demonstrations were moderated to give valuable knowledge to children in the homes.
“Our topic review was that they are special and that they can make a difference in the community,” said Inspector Mackey.
“Using that, we decided to bring different divisions from different aspects of the force which was to help them understand the importance of the things demonstrated by our officers.”
The officers, Mackey said, spoke to the children in order to show them the better alternatives in life, allowing them to make better choices rather than turn to a life of crime.
“We want them to know that police are not just here to lock up people, we are also here as your friends and to put you on the right path,” Mackey said.
“We want to show them that there is a better way to be more positive about themselves. Getting a good education so that when they leave, they will be able to find their place in society.”
Patrice Johnson said that the police lectures were created to help tailor the lives of the children and said that after having the officers present, the youngsters would no longer feel afraid.
“We brought the officers so that they won’t miss anything. We want them to have a close relationship with the officers and not to be afraid of them,” she said.
“They are here to change their attitude which is important because the children here tend to have that stand-off thing when it comes to authorities, so we try to make them understand that, that is not the way it is, police are there for you.”
Ranging from ages 12 to 17, the children at the home agreed that the demonstrations were informative and changed their outlook on authority figures.
“I learned that it’s not good to carry drugs around because you can get catch anyway and that matches are not nothing to play with,” recalled 12-year-old Erinique Bain.
“Basically we learned about firearms, weapons and the first thing you should do and contacting someone if you come across any drugs,” said 15-year-old Anthony Hanna.
“We got a better idea of what police officers do in our community. We feel we have a better relationship with them.”
By TAMARA DELANEY, Freeport News Reporter
