AMHERST - Squeals from little kids filled the corners of the mall Wednesday afternoon as preschoolers watched a robot used to diffuse explosives.
Sgt. Jamie Briggs of the NCO IC Explosives Disposal Section of the RCMP H Division was operating the ICOR Caliber Robot at the Amherst Centre Mall for National Police Week. With every motion the robot made, the children laughed, shrieked or even ran away.
Estelle Ackles, the teacher at the Amherst Preschool, said the event was an opportunity to see and meet those behind emergency personnel.
"Most of the preschool children have had an opportunity to see a fire truck or a police car going somewhere, but they don't know why or for what," said Ackles while the students took a look at the controls of the bomb squad's robot.
"This was a great chance to explain that to the children and to show them that these people and vehicles are safe. It's a fantastic experience for them to get out of the classroom setting."
For 12-year-old Kody Little, the time spent at the mall was spent testing out the different police vehicles and talking to many of the organizations that were present.
"They were all able to explain anything if you asked," said Kody, who was at the mall with his co-peer mediators. "I really liked seeing the RCMP and the fire department."
Kody said his favourite display was the RCMP, especially because he got to check out all the cruisers.
