Keep our neighborhoods safe for kids this summer

July 25, 2019

In summer, children take a break from school to relax, interact with friends, and to enjoy the great weather. As they have fun in the sun, it is the responsibility of adults like you and me to keep them safe. Here are things you can do to improve safety where you live for your kids and others in the area.

Get to know your neighbors

Usually, the first step to securing a neighborhood is to get acquainted with your neighbors. It helps for a couple of reasons.

You get to know neighbors that are in your vicinity but often out of sight. That way you can identify any criminal elements
You get to know which homes are safe for your children to play around and which ones are not.
It can also make it easier to combine efforts with others and implement ideas that will improve your neighborhood safety.

Keep yards neat

Once you know your neighbors, you will be able to deal with any potentially dangerous situations as a unit. One area that is easy for all neighbors to sort out is unkempt yards.

Cleaning up the yards of each home will help in several areas.

It is a good way to eliminate breeding places for vermin such as bugs and snakes. Kids are curious and may get bitten if they wander off into such areas.
It will help people identify any poisonous berry bushes or flowers and cut them down. You wouldn't want one of the children eating such berries, would you?
Lastly, cleaning up yards will get rid of dark places where suspicious characters may hide.

Light up your neighborhood

Many criminals come out in the evening or at night. They prefer the cover of darkness to commit their crimes. A great way to beat them is to ask for the street lights in your neighborhood to be lit at all times when it gets dark.

If you don't have any street lights in your neighborhood, it's a good idea to advocate for some. If any lights have gone into disrepair, you can also ask the people in charge to fix them.

Lastly, talk to your neighbors and see if all of you can keep your security lights on in the evenings. Motion sensor lights are an option for anyone who doesn't want to keep the lights on all night.

Befriend the local police

Advocate for people in your neighborhood to befriend the local police. That way, you can cooperate to make your community safe.

It's a good idea for everyone to have emergency numbers of the police patrolling your neighborhood if possible. It will make it easy for anyone to alert the cops on duty in case of any suspicious sightings in your area.

Also, offer your help as a neighborhood by working with the police to set up a neighborhood watch group. Criminals often shy away from places with a lot of police presence and alert people.

Educate the kids

Even as we are keeping them safe, our children need to be proactive about their well-being. See if you can talk to your kids about the dangers surrounding them and how to avoid them.

For example, ask them not to accept treats from strangers, talk to them, or open doors for them. Also, teach them how to deal with emergencies and which numbers to call when they are in trouble.

Talking to kids about online safety is also a good idea. There is a lot you can teach kids in your neighborhood about safety, so why not set up a get- together for it?

Encourage people to spend time outdoors

Summer is time for running and other outdoor activities. It's a good idea to encourage neighbors to come out and have fun with their children or sit outdoors.

With adults around outside, kids can enjoy biking and outdoor activities, knowing someone is looking out for them. In case of any accidents, people will also get to the scene fast.

These are a few tips to help you keep your neighborhood safe this summer. The safety of children is the responsibility of adults. Let's all work together to keep our children safe.