The Community Safety Net program, originally introduced by the former school resource focuses on providing safety education for youth and seniors. Run by a Canadian organization specializing in safety awareness, the program offers educational books funded through community donations.
“We thank the members of the Estevan community that supported the cause, because without them we can’t continue with this initiative, and it’s a really great program,” said Constable Danielle Stephany of the Estevan Police Service.
One of the program’s main mandates is drug safety, which is the primary focus for EPS, Stephany said. The program is currently aimed at Grade 8 students, educating them on drug safety before they enter high school.
“Typically, kids are more impacted by bullies and trying to fit in within high school, so that’s kind of why we target the elementary school ages—to give them more knowledge and information so they can make better choices should they be exposed to that when they get to high school,” she said.
Community Safety Net secures funding by canvassing local businesses for support. Once donations are collected, EPS is notified of how many books they can order for distribution.
This year, the program expanded to include senior safety and health safety books.
“We’ve also incorporated senior safety and health safety books that we’re going to distribute within the community as well,” Stephany said.
The books for seniors will be distributed at Fraud Prevention Night on Monday, March 24, as well as at senior residences including Creighton Lodge, Trinity Towers, and Heritage Place. EPS is also considering making them available to the over-50 group at the Nicholson Centre.
“Unfortunately, we have limited numbers of books, so we're going to see where we're at after this fraud night and then if there are places where we can drop some books off,” Stephany said.
She added that while the program currently has a limited supply of senior safety books, she hopes to make them a bigger priority next year.