By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A SENIOR police officer from Endeavour Hills has urged parents not to tell their kids police will “lock them up” in jail, after several visits to local kindergartens in recent weeks.
In the last few months local police have visited a number of kinders and pre-schools to speak to children about what police do and how they can stay safe.
But Senior Sergeant Alan Dew said it was disappointing that on each occasion when the kids were asked “What do police do?”, a number responded “They put us in jail if we are bad.”
Sen Sgt Dew said the children were asked who told them this, and they said their parents.
“Basically I think that scares the kids in relation to how they view police,” the policing veteran said.
“We want kids not to be scared of us; we want kids who are scared to come to us for help.”
Sen Sgt Dew said many families in Casey came from other countries where policing styles may not be as “democratic” as those in Victoria.
“I’ve always been big on community engagement, trying to engage particularly with young people,” he said.
“…We want to be seen as part of the community.
“We were a lot more detached from the community when I first joined, now we police with the community and for the community.”
