Adelong Preschoolers enjoy a trip to Tumut Police Station

26 Adelong Preschool children recently enjoyed a trip to the Tumut Police Station to learn more about how police support the community. 

 

“We had a talk about the equipment they [the officers] had on them, how they keep us safe and what we would do if we saw a police officer down the street when we’re lost,” Adelong Preschool director Rachael Hassett shared with local news source Region Riverina. 

 

The children were escorted through the charge room, got their fingerprints taken, saw the  highway patrol vehicles and paddy wagons, and tried to see how many children could pile into the police boat.

 

“We could fit everyone inside the boat and that was exciting,” Ms Hassett said.

 

The visit was inspired by many times when the children have seen police vehicles in the neighbourhood, and children’s conversations about the police, their role in the community, and other aspects of their roles. 

 

“There’s been lots of play about police and locking people up in jail and we decided we’d show them what police do and how they look after, protect and keep us safe,” Ms Hassett explained.

 

The Tumut police were very excited to have the children attend, and clearly made a good impression, with one young child saying they wanted to stay and spend the night in the police station, while another said they would like to join the police force when they were older. 

 

Liaison visits with the local police in early childhood are an important aspect of the preschool program, the Director continued, because they reinforce the idea that police are safe people who children can approach if they are lost or need support. 

 

“We try to paint a positive picture of police because families don’t always do so and we visit the police station once a year,” Ms Hassett shared. 

 

For Tumut Police Station Inspector Josh Broadfoot the visits are welcomed, because they help to build good relationships and lessen children’s fear of police. 

 

“We don’t want them to be scared of the police and we want them to have a positive relationship with us,” he said. 

 

“We’d like to thank the preschool for reaching out. We love having the kids around. They brighten the place up for us.”

To read the original coverage of this story please see here.