IdentiKidz tags to ensure families find lost children quickly

fred Solomons-Johannes said the details of each child would be logged in a register by city officials.

“Should a child get lost, immediate contact can be made to reunite them with their parents or guardians,” he said.

The beach safety programme will be launched at Silverstroomstrand, Table View beach, Milnerton Lagoon, Sea Point beach, Camps Bay beach and tidal pool, Hout Bay beach, Fish Hoek beach, Muizenberg beach, Strandfontein beach and tidal pool, Monwabisi beach and tidal pool, Blue Water Resort, Macassar beach, Mnandi beach and Strand beach.

The programme will run until the end of February.

Meanwhile, city shopping malls have already implemented their own safety wristbands as part of their security features.

Canal Walk spokeswoman Vanessa Herbst said they had a child- safe wristband system that customers could request from their customer service desk. The wristband bears the parent’s name, the child’s name, age, contact number and important medical information.

“This assists our staff to contact parents should their children be lost in the centre,” she said.

Since the start of the school holidays, the mall has only had two cases of children being reported lost. Both were found.

Free wrist tags are also available at the information centre at the V&A Waterfront. Spokeswoman Carla White said the system had been in place for a number of years, and was promoted as a “proactive measure” in all their festive season messaging.

“This is particularly advisable if visitors intend to spend an extended period at the Waterfront, and on very busy days, such as New Year’s Eve.

“While we do occasionally see children separated from their parents, all our staff are well versed in dealing with the situation, and reuniting the families in a speedy manner.

“We encourage parents to be vigilant as this is a busy time of year, with both parents and children easily distracted,” White added.

In the event of parents losing sight of their child, she urged them to report it to the nearest security guard or to the information centre or kiosk.

“Our security and info teams are then able to work to resolve the situation fast and efficiently,” White said.

janis.kinnear@inl.co.za