Mall organises child safety workshops

IN THE wake of rising concerns over child safety in shopping malls, Sunway Pyramid has reinitiated its Child Safe Shopping Workshop.

The annual effort, in its third year, is being held during school holiday weekends throughout June, with 30 children per batch.

Sunway Shopping Malls chief operating officer Kevin Tan Gar Peng said the workshop, open to children aged six to 12, emphasised on providing children with safety tips to prevent mishaps in public areas.

With more than 1,000 Leo Club Safety Rangers having graduated since 2012, the children are taught about vigilance when walking in carparks, riding escalators and elevators, and what to do when they lose sight of their parents or guardians.

“More often than not I have seen people balancing strollers on escalators, though the safest way would be to use lifts, or not standing within the yellow lines on escalators.

“We have our security and auxiliary police looking out for undesirable elements and for children who may be left unsupervised.

“However, education is very important, not only for the children but also for the parents and guardians,” he added.

This year, the mall is taking the campaign a step further by training the Safety Rangers to look out for several other danger areas.

Other safety measures include free wristbands for children on which parents can write their contact details as well as free Child Distance Monitors, also known as the Child Beeper – a device that can be tagged on a child to alert parents or guardian when a child is separated beyond a certain distance.

Carparks have also been equipped with 200 i-alerts — security buttons that can be used if guests are in distress or feel their safety threatened.