Safety

Run, Hide and Tell: using the Police Pal storybook at home

Run, Hide and Tell is three verbs, and the Singapore Police Force's own emergency preparedness material defines them plainly: move away from danger; if escape is not possible, find cover and stay out of sight and stay quiet; and, when it is safe to do so, tell by calling 999 or SMS 71999. The trusted-adult framing for small children comes from a different place — The Straits Times reported that the SGSecure Police Pal storybook uses animal characters to teach young children the importance of staying alert, moving away from danger and seeking help from a trusted adult. ^{[1] [2]}

The practical question is how to say three short words to a preschooler without frightening them, and what the authorities actually publish about them. The timing helps. On 5 October 2026, Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann launched an SGSecure Police Pal storybook at an SGSecure Carnival at MOE Kindergarten @ West Spring in Bukit Panjang, reading it to a Kindergarten 2 class before joining more than 200 pre-schoolers, teachers and police officers in emergency-themed activities and colouring sessions. ^[2]

What the storybook is, and who it is for

The Straits Times reported that the book is titled Run, Hide And Tell: An SGSecure Story, and uses animal characters to teach young children to stay alert, move away from danger and seek help from a trusted adult. It was produced jointly by the Singapore Police Force and the SGSecure Programme Office, and is the final instalment in the Police Pal series rolled out in 2024 for children aged four to six. That four-to-six band is The Straits Times' reported age range for the series; SPF's own Police Pal page describes the programme's scope more broadly, as preschool and primary school children. ^{[2] [3]}

SPF describes Police Pal as its flagship programme for engaging preschool and primary school children on crime prevention and on the roles and responsibilities of the Police through interactive activities, developed from the Young Police Buddy initiative begun by Bedok Police Division in 2019. SPF also states it worked with MOE's Character and Citizenship Education branch so the content aligns with the CCE syllabus. No retrieved official page documents the book's contents, price or distribution, so for programme information the official Police Pal page is the place to check. ^[3]

What SPF actually says Run, Hide and Tell involves

SPF's emergency preparedness material sets out the three steps in plain words. Run means moving away from danger, without surrendering or attempting to negotiate. If escape is not possible, Hide means finding cover and staying out of sight, being very quiet and switching your phone to silent mode. When it is safe to do so, Tell means calling 999, or sending an SMS to 71999 if it is not safe to talk, and providing details about your location and the attackers. The same material notes the SGSecure app can also be used to provide information to the authorities. ^[1]

The rest of the detail is written for adults and premises, not preschoolers. SPF's Run guidance adds considering the safest route, staying out of the attackers' view, insisting others leave with you and leaving belongings behind. Its T.E.L.L. reporting format asks for the total number of attackers, the equipment or weapons being carried, their location and their looks. For a suspected item, SPF advises moving a short distance away and calling 999 immediately, using mobile phones away from the item's immediate vicinity, not touching or moving it, and warning others to stay away. None of that is a child's task. ^[1]

Why parents are being asked to reinforce it

Sim Ann said the SGSecure-themed storybook is meant to show children how to respond when they see something or someone suspicious, and that even at a young age children can learn steps like Run, Hide, Tell to stay safe and seek help when needed. She added that she hopes parents can reinforce these lessons at home so preparedness becomes a habit from a young age. The kindergarten's centre head Rico Chan said the pre-schoolers easily understood the concept of a stranger bringing a suspicious item into school and that they should run away, while also emphasising staying orderly and listening to instructions. ^[2]

One parent at the carnival, Chua Mei Ling, 39, said the book makes topics like national security easy for a child to understand, and said: "The book is very easy to understand… I don't think (national security and emergency preparedness) is a topic I can (easily) raise with my kid." Her daughter, Juel Lee, is six, and explained to reporters that a "bad guy" in the book had tried to harm the school. This is one parent's reported view at one launch event, not evidence about how families generally respond. What it does show is why the book was made for the preschool age band: for Chua, this was a subject she found hard to raise with her six-year-old, and the story gave her a way to open it. ^[2]

Calm, optional ways to bring it into the home

SPF's contingency planning advisories for workplaces offer the closest official logic for practising: conduct regular drills and exercises so people are familiar with evacuation routes, hiding places and their roles, use those drills to identify gaps or flaws in plans, and review plans regularly so they stay feasible, up-to-date and easy to follow. That advice is written for office premises, and no retrieved SPF or SGSecure page sets out a home routine, teaching schedule or worksheet for four-to-six-year-olds. ^[4]

The following are optional editorial suggestions, not official SPF instructions or tested routines, and nothing here can make a child safe. In a hypothetical example, you read the story once, say the three words together while pointing at the pictures, agree on the name of the adult your child would tell, and stop there. The launch report describes the storybook as teaching children to seek help from a trusted adult. The two verbs adults carry are moving away from danger and getting out of sight when escape is not possible, so practise calmly and skip the simulations. ^{[2] [1]}

Sources

1. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
2. Move over, Paw Patrol: S'pore preschoolers learn to run, hide and tell from a Police Pal guide | The Straits Times
3. SPF | Police Pal
4. SPF E-Book_2_20171116 (Low Res)

EduNanny Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-06. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.