Dear Parents/Carers,

Ahead of this half term, we would be grateful if you would take the time to talk through some of the points below with the young people in your lives, so they can have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Bikes

We would strongly recommend investing in a bike tracking device. Both pedal bikes and e-bikes are significantly more likely to get recovered, should they be stolen, if they have a tracker. It also increases the potential for those committing these offences to be caught and prevent other people from being targeted.

Research shows that bikes are 83% more likely to be stolen if they’re not registered on the national database: Bike Register. We regularly run bike marking events – check your local police Facebook page for events near to you.

Shared Spaces

Across the last few weeks we’ve seen an increase in reports of antisocial behaviour. We know that the vast majority of children and young people will be out enjoying the parks, beaches and other shared spaces safely and sensibly. A few, though, might make choices which have major consequences for themselves and others.

Even the most typically well-behaved kids can make impulsive decisions, and unfortunately those can result in their future jobs and even their future foreign travel being restricted. We would ask you to speak to young people, no matter how well behaved they are, about where they are going, who they are going with, and to check in with them regularly.

We would ask you to remind young people to walk away from places or people which could land them in trouble, and to talk with them about what they could say or do to get out of the situation if they feel something is getting out of hand.

Keep an eye on your local council and police Facebook page for any free activities to help keep the kids occupied in the holidays.

Water Safety

It can be incredibly tempting for children to want to play in local bodies of water when the weather is good.

Please speak to young people about the dangers of entering water where no lifeguard is on duty.

Even in areas where a lifeguard is present, encourage young people to enter the water slowly and with care,

warn against jumping from heights, and remind them that inflatables should never be used in open water.

9% of UK accidental drownings occur between May and August and there is a heightened risk of drowning when air temperatures are higher.

Fire

With the good weather, many people have everything they need for a barbeque on hand at the moment. Please make sure matches, lighters, fuel and accelerants are well out of reach of children.

Remind children and young people about just how quickly a small fire can get out of control – especially in

dry weather. Thank you.

Merseyside Police