Now entering its eighth year, the Surrey RCMP’s Junior Police Academy has once again kicked off this week (Aug. 12-17).
The Junior Pol
ice Academy is a five-day long “day camp” which takes place for one day in each Surrey district. Approximately 100 children aged six to 10 attend each day.
The kids participate in a number of RCMP-led activities during the morning, including forensics, drill and physical fitness. After lunch the children are introduced to other RCMP sections including
Police Dog Services, Emergency Response Team, Air Services, and Traffic Section. Many of the participants are from inner-city schools and it gives children the opportunity to interact positively for a day with police officers.
"We want to continue the fun and positive environment established in past years of the Academy and continue to build those positive relationships for the future,” says Surrey RCMP Sgt. Shelly Jacobsen. “Kids should feel comfortable interacting with the police when they leave the camp and consider us someone they can turn to should they be in trouble."