Pubdate: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN) Copyright: 2008 The StarPhoenix Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400 REGINA POLICE ADOPT ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS REGINA (SNN) -- The Regina Police Service will soon have a new educational weapon at its disposal in its ongoing war on drugs. Beginning as early as this school year, or perhaps at the beginning of next, RPS school resource officers are expected to start delivering a program called Community Safety Net to Regina students, mainly in grades 5 to 8. The program is billed as a safety awareness and education initiative that works by creating a network of individuals and organizations that want to protect children. It consists of a booklet and interactive DVD from Gateway Publishing on drug, fire, rural and personal safety. The RPS has approved the drug materials for use in Regina. "It's a perennial challenge to try to educate young people on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse," RPS spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich said. "You're always dealing with new students each year and it seems as though even though the information is out there, sometimes you need to present it in a new and different way in order for the kids to pay attention or to have that message really sink in with them. So it's one of those tasks that requires constant maintenance." Community Safety Net is used by community organizations, such as police and fire departments, to help provide safety resources for local children. While in the community, project co-ordinators visit local businesses and merchants to raise awareness and support for the safety initiative. At the end of the campaign, supporting merchants are listed in the book and safety materials are sent to the partnering organization -- in this case, the RPS -- for distribution and use. Lise Bisson, spokesperson for Community Safety Net, said the program has been used by numerous communities across Canada and the United States. Popowich said one of the strongest aspects of the program is that it's appealing to students, partly due to the inclusion of an interactive DVD game. "It presents the information in an interesting way and sometimes that's the hook that you need to get the attention of the students," she said, noting the booklet contains plenty of short facts and items that work well for discussion purposes. "And then the interactive DVD game is a step that is a little bit different. I don't think we've ever had that sort of material for our school resource officers before, and it speaks to kids at a level that interests them and in a way that they understand and accept. They're very electronically inclined or very media-savvy and so it's one more way of getting that message and that information out there." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake