Police stress doing the right thing is also cool

July 5, 2013 · 0 Comments

Though school may be out for the summer, OPP will still be encouraging kids to learn that doing the right thing is also the “cool thing to do.”
Thanks to a continued partnership with Mac’s Convenience Stores, Operation Freeze 2013 recognizes positive behaviour in a very cool way — with a very cool treat.
Building on this past winter’s successful Operation Heat 2012, OPP officers who observe youth doing random acts of kindness or exhibiting positive behavior this summer will recognize that young person with a “positive ticket.” The ticket is actually a coupon, valid for a free 710-ml Froster beverage at all participating Mac’s stores across Ontario.
In addition to recognizing good behaviour by youth, Operation Freeze 2013 promotes opportunities for OPP officers to interact with youth in a positive way. Officers may again use the coupons to recognize youth for wearing bicycle helmets, doing good deeds, participating in community activities, picking up trash, pro-actively deterring crime or observing school crossing rules. Officers may also use the coupons as literal “icebreakers” to establish a rapport with kids in their patrol area. The intention is to ensure that the “positive tickets” legitimately reinforce the positive behaviour exhibited by a youth, by offering something of value.
“The OPP is pleased to once again participate in this very successful summer initiative that recognizes youth for responsible and caring behaviour,” said OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis. “The OPP Positive Ticketing Program challenges our members to catch Ontario’s youth ‘in the act of doing right,’ and encouraging such behaviour through positive reinforcement. Operation Freeze is proof positive that engaging our business communities in support of youth programs helps make our communities stronger.”
“Operation Freeze provides law enforcement with an additional tool to initiate communication and reward our youth in a positive way,” commented Sean Sportun, manager of loss prevention and security for Mac’s in Central Canada. “Mac’s has made crime prevention part of our Corporate philosophy and we are excited to once again partner with the OPP on an initiative that empowers our youth to make a positive difference in the community.”
Since the program’s inception in the summer of 2010, more than 400,000 Operation Freeze and Operation Heat coupons have been used to recognize youth for positive behaviour across Ontario. During the upcoming summer months, over 75,000 Operation Freeze coupons may be presented to kids by OPP officers across Ontario.
In addition to its outstanding public awareness, education and community engagement benefits, the personal impact achieved, one youth at a time, by an OPP officer issuing a “positive ticket” to a child, remains priceless, according to police.