Stranger Smart is working in Highlands
Police received 25 reports of strangers approaching school pupils last year, all of which turned out to be “false alarms with good intent”.
The region’s top police officer Chief Superintendent Julian Innes told a strategic Highland Council committee there were good explanations for all cases reported.
And he said those who raised the alarm were right to do so.
He told the education, children and adult services committee on Wednesday that a new initiative funded by police and the council was now in place to make sure police were able to respond immediately if there were reports of a stranger trying to approach youngsters anywhere in the Highlands.
Under the scheme, called Stranger Smart, leaflets are being send home in the schoolbags of primary school pupils, at a cost of £500.
This A5 sheet of paper tells parents what they should do if their child is approached by a stranger, listing details about who they should report their concerns to.
It says things like: “What your child should do: Never talk to strangers when not with a
grown up. Stay back, stay safe.”
A protocol has also been drawn up for head teachers telling them what they should do if such circumstances were reported to them.
It says things like: “Gather initial details including time, location of incident, description, how many children were present, who did they tell and when.”
It also instructs: “Report to Police Scotland - Phone 101, contact parent/carer of pupil involved to let them know what’s happened.”
Bet McAllister, Labour councillor for Inverness Central, welcomed the scheme.She said: “It’s a very clear and a very simple message for the schools to give out to their staff. There have been a few incidents in Inverness not too far away from where I live. Thankfully children were not harmed and they reported to the police and to the school what had happened. I think this is absolutely fantastic and hopefully it will deter people from thinking about speaking to children.”
