A child luring incident in Davidson earlier this month has placed a focus on increased supervision among community members and extra education for kids towards exhibiting smart and safe behaviour.
On June 5 a young Davidson School student was approached by a stranger in a vehicle while walking along Government Road on her way home from school. The man in the vehicle tried unsuccessfully to lure the girl into his truck.
The girl has described the man as bald with a neck tattoo and the colour of the truck as black. The police were called about the incident and Davidson School staff sent out a letter to parents the next day informing them about what happened.
Craik RCMP constable Kevin Morrissette said this is the only incidence of child luring that has recently been reported to them. He said they currently do not have any suspects and the situation is still under investigation.
Morrissette said the girl in this incident did the right thing by not responding to the stranger, immediately going to a known place to stay safe and notifying her parents and the police about the incident. He reiterated not engaging with strangers, heading straight to a safe place such as a family member’s home or a business and then notifying authorities is what all kids should remember if confronted with this type of situation.
The letter sent out to students’ families by Davidson School states school staff and teachers are increasing supervision and having everyone on the lookout for anything that doesn’t seem quite right. It also notes teachers are having extra discussions with their students about being safe and what the proper things to do are in situations such as this one.
“The beauty of small towns is that everyone knows each other,” said Davidson School principal Jason Low on what the community can do to help. “So we need to continue to notice things or people that are out of the ordinary and report them when necessary. We also need to continue to look out for each other and take care of our kids.”
Low said kids need to remember that if their parents change their afterschool plans they would first inform the school and then let the school staff inform them. It never would be a stranger on the street or in a vehicle telling them of a change. He added kids also need to talk to their parents or teachers if something weird or different occurs.
“I think we have a good system going where teachers know where their kids are going after school,” he said. “If the plan changes, we let kids know and ensure they are clear on the plan. With cellphones, it is easy for parents to check in with the school to see where kids are if necessary. I know that the daycare will call the school within a few (minutes) if one of the kids hasn’t arrived.”
Morrissette said Highway 11 is one of the busiest roadways in the province and there are people of different walks of life continually going up and down it and even though Davidson may be a small and safe community there are lots of transient people going through. He said people who attempt crimes such as child abductions are usually unknown to a community and don’t regularly frequent the area, so the main thing kids need to remember is don’t talk to strangers.