By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As part of a new anti-bullying initiative to make schools safer, Chatham-Kent police have stepped up.
Dubbed “Chatham-Kent Police Service Stands Against Bullying” the campaign aims to raise awareness about the impacts of bullying and cyber-bulling, and it’s using a new tool – the Internet.
According to CKPS communications coordinator Shelomi Legall, the program features elementary classroom presentations by officers, as well as an online contest designed to spread the anti-bullying message, targeting students aged five to 18, educators and the general public.
In an email message, Legall said the program will teach young people how to recognize, report and prevent bullying, and provide ways to promote “a culture of kindness and inclusivity.”
While Chatham-Kent police have conducted anti-bullying campaigns in the past, leveraging social media is a first for the service, Legall explained, adding the online contest was devised to have a “wider” reach, noting the CKPS generated nearly 800,000 views on its Facebook page in January.
In order to participate in the contest, youth need to share the CKPS anti-bullying contest post and tag police on the CKPS website. Use the hashtag #CKPSAgainstBullying and tag @CKPS in your post. Whomever shares the post the most will win a gift card to the Flying Squirrel.
Through engagement and interaction, Legall said the CKPS are looking to “build trust and transparency in the Chatham-Kent community.
“It shows that the police are not just focused on law enforcement,” she added, but are invested in “creating a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone.”
Embedded in the campaign, said Legall, is the statement that help is available and you are not alone.
The new anti-bullying strategy comes on the heels of a video showing an altercation between children under 12 years of age that went viral last December.
Legall said the incident was part of the reason for the new campaign.
