Edmonton police, along with Child and Family Services started an awareness campaign Thursday – in an effort to educate parents on the dangers of leaving their children unattended in vehicles.
The message for parents and guardians of children was simple: don’t use your car as a babysitter.
“Every day, guardians run errands while children under 12 are left alone in a vehicle, a vehicle that provides a false sense of security,” Sgt. Gary Willits of the EPS Child at Risk Response Team said in a press release.
“A vehicle is not a babysitter, it cannot protect a child from predators and crimes against children, it cannot provide medical assistance or call 911 if a child suffers medical distress, and it cannot prevent a child from playing with the gear shift and putting the vehicle in motion, or prevent children from exiting the vehicle and wandering off.”
On average, police said officers respond to at least one call each day – reporting a child left alone in a vehicle.
Police said in some cases charges can be laid, and parents or guardians could be investigated by police and Child and Family Services.
Sentences can range from probation to jail.
More information on the campaign can be found online.
With files from Ashley Molnar
