PC Henry McField from the K-9 Unit shows off Nakita, his specially trained Labrador

They may not be Arnold Schwatzsnegger but officers from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, (RCIPS) put on a great show for the children at Tiffany’s Pre School kindergarden in West Bay assisting with their educational topic “Community Helpers’.

43 children aged from 1-5 years were given a presentation on how to identify a police officer, the role of the police and how the police can help them.

“We asked the police to come into the classroom so the children can see first hand what a police officer looks like and how they can be identified,” said Head teacher Miss Osborne.

“We also want to instil in the children from an early age a respect for the police and make them realize that the police are their friends. I hope today has helped them understand that the police are here to protect our country and that they won’t be scared or nervous when they see an officer or a police car.”

Three uniformed police officers, a marked police car and a 3-and-a-half-year-old Labrador police dog attended the pre-school, gave a presentation and answered questions.

PC Henry McField from the K-9 Unit brought along Nakita, who is specially trained in explosives and gave a short demonstration of some of her abilities. The children were also given the chance to look at the police car, hear the sirens and see the lights.

“It’s extremely important that children know who they can trust and who they can go to for help if they find themselves in difficulty and if they can recognise a police officer as a trust worthy adult it could really help them in a time of need,” said Sergeant Neil Mohammed, who spoke to the youngsters about police identification.

“The RCIPS is very keen to work with the community on projects like this and I would urge anyone who would like the police to carry out this kind of task to get in touch.”

Anyone who would like more information should contact their local police station.