In the wake of what appeared to be a pair of attempted abductions at a local school last week, law enforcement officials say it will take everyone playing a part to keep children safe.

“I just believe that if we don’t form a strong collaborative union -- parents, educators, the community and public safety -- we’re going to have a tough turf to maintain,” Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said.

Last week, two Edisto Primary students told school officials an older white man in a gray car tried to entice them into his vehicle. The children ran.

Two days later, a similar incident at Edisto Primary happened. Law enforcement is investigating the two incidents and school officials are reviewing drop-off and arrival plans to see where safety can be improved.

However, police say parents can bolster a child’s safety by teaching of the possibility he or she may become the next abduction victim.

“The bottom line is parents need to talk with their children,” said Sgt. Aqkwele Polidore of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. “If they don’t know what to say, there’s a lot of information out there.”

Williams said a child spends six to eight hours a day in school. The rest of his day is at home or in his own neighborhood.

During this time away from school, there are three types of children: those who are with a caregiver, those allowed to roam their neighborhood at will, and “latch key kids,” or kids left with an older sibling who many times is a child as well.

With all children, regardless of the neighborhood or safety, build a relationship with your child, police say. He or she will be more apt to tell parents of a problem should one arise.

“You want to promote an environment where your kids feel comfortable enough to talk to you,” Polidore said. “What we’re finding is parents don’t talk to their kids any more.”

With that two-way line of communication in place, children can advise their parents of any suspicious characters while parents can use the channel to warn children of the dangers within their own neighborhoods or safety zones.

According to kidsave.com, the locations away from the school campus are the most dangerous, such as a park or the walk home alone.

The child safety Web site indicates that when a child is singled out – riding a golf cart or bicycle alone, a skating rink or movie theater, waiting alone at the mall in a crowd of people – he is more likely to be abducted.

Law enforcement officials say a smaller child in the company of an older child is not a safe alternative to a child enjoying a public venue solo, even if the older child is 12 or 13.

“You’re giving an abductor a chance,” Polidore said. “Nine times out of 10, they’re going for the 13-year-old because the 5-year-old wouldn’t be able to tell adults what happened.”

National statistics maintained by the children’s safety Web site show 75 percent of abductions are committed by a relative while the 66 percent of those taken by strangers are on average 11-year-old females. It goes on to say that on any given day in the United States, more than 2,100 reports are made for missing children.

“Education of children on safety is an important issue,” Williams said. “I will say I stand firm on several issues, and this is one of them.”

Teaching children of the potential dangers is key to their safety, police say.

Polidore said parents should remember the case of 6-year-old Adam Walsh, abducted in a department store when his mother walked away for a moment.

“Fear will keep you safe,” she said. “If you worry, you’re going to be aware of what’s going on.

For more information, visit: www.kidsave.com, www.kidshealth.org, www.ncpc.org

 

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