Child in car prompts RCMP call
'I did not understand what the purpose of the intervention was,' says mother
Evan Kiyoshi French
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A mother says she was made to feel like a criminal for leaving her eight-year-old boy in the car while shopping for groceries on Sunday afternoon.
The woman - who asked not to be named - said she locked the car doors, cracked open the sunroof and left the boy for about 30 minutes in the parking lot of the Independent Grocer on Old Airport Road.
When she returned she said the boy told her that a security guard had been walking around the car looking at him.
"I thought he was just being silly so I just didn't pay attention to it," she said. "I had loaded all of my groceries and we were eating sushi. Then I heard a knock on my window and there was an RCMP officer."
She said the officer told her a complaint about a child alone in a car had prompted his visit. She said the officer asked for her name and identification and ran her name through to dispatch.
"I felt really nervous," she said. "I just felt kind of like a criminal. I didn't know anyone had been watching me this whole entire time."
She said she and her son had spent the day doing chores around the house. As a reward for good behaviour, she took him to Walmart to buy a book. The boy - who she said is a responsible child who has been taught to "stay put" - wanted to stay in the car to read his book while she did her grocery shopping.
After relaying her information to RCMP headquarters, the officer made her wait in the parking lot for about 15 minutes, she said.
"I thought it was kind of funny just thinking about the situation," she said. "If it's not a legal matter then why would you run my name? I didn't think it was so bad. He's old enough to know to stay put and I trust him."
In an e-mail to Yellowknifer, RCMP Cpl. Monica Schimanke stated police received a complaint about the child and responded.
"It appears the owner of the vehicle went into a shop to retrieve some items while her eight-year-old child preferred to stay in the vehicle to read his book," she wrote. "The officer clarified this with the parent and ensured the safety of the child."
RCMP Const. Elenore Sturko said if police receive a complaint about a child by themselves they are obliged to check on them.
"Anytime there is concern we're going to look into it," she said.
Schimanke says it is common practice for police to run drivers' information.
"Whenever we stop a vehicle we always run the information and ensure that the driver has a valid driver's licence," she said.
"But ... since it was investigated as a complaint and as there was a child involved, the person would have been run just to make sure there was no custody issues. Just to ensure there's nothing outstanding that would affect them being around a child. Unfortunately the system is kind of slow sometimes so that's why there is that time delay."
Schimanke stated that anyone appearing to be less than 12 years old is considered to be a child.
"Circumstances will dictate the action taken, however, I am confident in saying that if an officer finds children under 12 on their own, an adult, parents or Child and Family Services will be called," she wrote.
Damien Healy, spokesperson for Health and Social Services, stated in an e-mail that Child and Family Services sets no age limit on how old a child needs to be before they can be left alone. They have guidelines to decide if a child is in danger based on circumstances, such as the weather - either very hot, or very cold - location and the period of time during which the child is alone, and whether or not the child has the ability to take action on their own to protect themselves, he wrote.
"If a child was observed to have been left alone, anyone could report this to a child protection worker and the matter would be investigated," stated Healy.
