COMPANIES DEPEND ON FEAR

Finger anger ki

AN INCREASE in

ds

the number of salesmen offering

fingerprinting kits for children has angered representatives of Child Find B.C. and B.C. Block Parents.

Julie Cullen, chairman of Child Find, said the kits which are being sold door-to-door are not neces- sary and that salesmen are using high pressure tactics to make their profits.

“These companies depend on parental fear to get in the door,” Cullen said. ‘‘They’re making huge profits by telling parents that the kit is going to prevent abduction. You kear about Genni Mae and Clifford Olson but 95 per cent of abductions are parental (custody matters).

OVERDRAMATIZE

“The press tends to over- dramatize something that is very sensitive,’’ she continued. “Children need the facts. They don’t need a lot of hysteria.”

Cullen said she knows of four companies operating in B.C. who sell fingerprinting kits for anywhere between $8 to $20 per child.

She said if parents want a record of their children’s fingerprints they do not have to pay a fee under a program, such as London Drugs’ Operation Family Identification program.

Both Child Find and Block

By KIM PEMBERTON News Reporter

Parents recommend parents have an identification file for their children.

Fr

JULIE CULLEN

‘But they caution parents to ex- amine the services being offered in their area before deciding.

*‘Although we endorse London Drugs’ fingerprinting program, very few parents would have to use it. We would encourage people,

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instead, to have clear and current shots of their children. Also dental records are a better way to identify a body, so there are other ways,”’ Cullen said.

OTHER METHODS

Cullen noted that recent studies in the United States show fewer parents are opting to have their children fingerprinted.

But she said if parents do want to do so, they should at least en- sure that the company has a business licence.

The RCMP said they are aware that the number of companies of- fering fingerprinting kits has in- creased in Vancouver and the sur- rounding area. And like Child Find and Block Parents the RCMP refuse to endorse these ventures.

Cst. Alison trons from North Vancouver’s Community Policing division said parents should be aware that fingerprints cannot in themselves locate a child. They on- ly help to identify a child who has been located, she said.

Irons said the RCMP is af- filiated with the Operation Family Identification, where volunteers are trained by the police on how to take a fingerprint.

She said the commercial kits are of fittle use, because without the training it is unlikely parents will be able to make a clear print.

NEWS photo fan Smith

FINGERPRINTING kits being soid “commercially have upset Child Find B.C. and B.C. Block Parents who claim salesmen are using parental fear to make their sales. They suggest parents who want fingerprints of their children should participate in London Drags Operation Family Identification program, which is run in con-

junction with the RCMP.

- Sunday, February 16, 1986 - North Shore News

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