Police offer tips to prevent abduction of children
News conference held to educate parents after alleged abduction by stranger foiled
Edmonton police held a news conference Wednesday to urge parents to educate their children about what to say if someone tries to snatch them after a five-year-old girl narrowly escaped an alleged abduction by a stranger on Saturday.
The five-year-old girl was riding her bike with her older brother near 157th Street and 99th Avenue when, at around 8:15 p.m., a man approached her before taking hold of the handlebars on the girl’s bike and leading her away, police said.
The girl’s older brother ran to a nearby home to alert a family member, who then chased the man down and rescued the girl a block away from where she was taken, police said.
“It was very quick thinking. Obviously the older brother was well prepared for such a situation,” said Edmonton police Det. Manuel Illner of the child protection section, who called the brother’s actions “heroic.”
Family members were able to provide a description of the man, who police say was arrested in the area within minutes.
Dusty Greg Chalifoux, 37, has been charged with abducting a child under 14 years of age and breaching recognizance.
While Becci Watson, director of child support services with the Zebra Child Protection Centre, said abductions by strangers are rare, estimating nine out of every 10 cases the Zebra centre deals with involve offenders known to the victim or their family. Watson said parents can help ensure their children’s safety by speaking to them about what they can do should they be approached by a stranger.
Sgt. Lael Sauter, with the Edmonton police’s Child at Risk Response Team, said parents are well equipped to protect their children when they are present, but good education will empower their children to set boundaries that protect them when faced with challenges alone.
“We can empower the kids by giving them knowledge beforehand,” Sauter said.
Should a child get separated from their parents, Sauter said an effective strategy is to teach children to “freeze,” staying in place so their parents can track them down while resisting attempts to be led away by strangers, well-meaning or otherwise.
Another strategy is to establish a code word shared between the child and parents that can be used to confirm whether another adult who is authorized to interact with the child is safe.
“Without that code word, that child knows right away this person is not who they say they are, they have no idea who (their) parent is. (They’re) not going to go,” Sauter said.
Should someone forcibly grab the child and attempt to take them away, Sauter said children should be taught to kick and scream while shouting, “This is not my mom! This is not my dad! Help!”
“That is very helpful for many people who are bystanders who otherwise may think that this is possibly a parent and this child is having a temper tantrum,” Sauter said. “This child is now specifically saying, ‘This is not my mom. This is not my dad. Help,’ and it alerts people to come in and assist.”
Without that code word, that child knows right away this person is not who they say they are, they have no idea who (their) parent is.