RCMP engage community during Police Week

It was a way to bring increased awareness to certain issues and strengthen the ties between the public and local police officers.

Members of the Bay St. George RCMP marked Canadian Police Week from May 9 to 15 with various community events and presentations.

Dressed in the force's famous red serge, Cst. Ryan Meko delivered a talk on safety and bullying to various students at Stephenville Primary on May 10.

"What is a stranger?" asked Cst. Meko to Emily Gabriel's Grade 1 class.

"It's when you don't know them," was a reply from a student.

He noted while Bay St. George is a safe place to live, children still have to be mindful of who they interact with.

"A stranger could be anyone," he said. "They could be old like your grandparents or they could be a teenager. ... Just because somebody's a stranger doesn't mean they're bad, but you have to treat them the same way."

Cst. Meko also told the students about different types of bullying.

"Teasing someone - that could be a form of bullying," he said. "If you send somebody a message [on the Internet] to pick on them or make fun of them, that's a form of bullying, too."

He told the students they have to be careful what they say to other people and not to be afraid to tell an adult if they feel something is wrong.

"You have to learn how to trust yourselves and what you're feeling," said the constable. "You're all smart people."

Police also gave presentations last week to seniors about such topics as cheque, phone and Internet fraud.

editor@thegeorgian.ca