First Kid-Safe program for Northern BC arrives in PG

A first-of-its-kind program for the Northern capital is ensuring safety for children and relief for parents.

Operation KidSafe is a computer system that takes a child’s picture and scans their finger-prints onto a sheet of paper for parents or guardians to have on-hand.

.@WoodWheaton offers demonstration on how kids can get their fingerprints in the #OperationKidSafe system; each finger is taken, plus a photo of the child’s face for parents to keep | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/Zi1zRAUk5o

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) August 24, 2018

This way, should a child be taken, they can give the document to the police, which could increase the odds of finding them.

For parents like Gordon Foulds, father to Aryanna, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl, having a program like this in the City means everything.

“It means I’ve got things in place in case the unforgiven happens, and hopefully it means that if any kids do go missing, it’s a lot easier for them to be found. Personally, I think we live in a pretty safe community, but at the same time, I got to be as safe as I can with my kids.”

The new initiative is kickstarted by Levi Allan of Wood Wheaton Honda.

“I’m a father of two and recently in our community, we had those suspicious incidents at the end of last year’s school year and it made me start thinking what would happen if it was one of my children?”

.@WoodWheaton launches #OperationKidSafe as the City/Region sponsor; this provides a safety factor for kids, giving parents relief in knowing they have a document of their children | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/IRrujkLl1o

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) August 24, 2018

Suspicious events at schools and skate parks became common at the beginning of summer involving suspects in vans either picking up or trying to lure children.

For Foulds, he says his mind is now at ease with Operation KidSafe.

“Your finger-prints itself are with you for life unless you get scars or whatever. So really all you need to do is make sure the pictures up-to-date, and I mean, most people have pictures of their kids that they take regularly. So that part shouldn’t be a problem and it’s definitely going to be filed away in a safe place so I have it.”

The Child Safety Centre, located at Wood Wheaton Honda, is free and can be used by anyone, ranging from small children to young adults.

.@WoodWheaton officially opens its #OperationKidSafe Centre; the 1st if it’s kind in the #NorthernBC region | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/psGNyXJnD1

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) August 24, 2018