That was the underlying message of two speakers at a public forum put on by the Milton Community Policing Committee Sunday afternoon -- during which a broad range of safety-related topics were discussed.

Among them was a rather disturbing look at the dangers inherent with the Internet, particularly for children using social networks like FaceBook and MySpace.

The small group gathered at the police station seemed quite surprised -- and no doubt concerned -- as Const. Noel Bowes showed how just a few bits of information leave the door wide open for on-line predators.

"And that's without even hacking," he said, following a quick demonstration in which a young girl's simple message -- that didn't even include her last name or town -- provided enough material to find out just about everything about her.

Addressing a wide variety of on-line concerns through his work with both Halton Regional Police's Education Services Unit and the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, Bowes stressed that youths should never assume that e-mails or text messages are private.

He pointed to statistics revealing that 10 per cent of those frequenting the average person's social network account are strangers to back up his claim.

"I tell kids, if I were to approach you at Milton Mall and start asking questions, would you give me your personal information? No. Well then why would you put it on-line for the whole world to see?"

Bowes also talked about how these social networks and the ever-growing YouTube video craze have become a haven for on-line bullies -- whose actions can include everything from threats and spreading rumours to impersonating someone else in order to gain information or spread lies.

With that in mind, he offered some simple but effective tips to parents with regard to their children's Internet use.

He recommends keeping a computer in a common area of the house where monitoring can be done more easily and keeping regular tabs on who your children are conversing with, and where.

"For children, the biggest thing is never to give out personal information. And if you wouldn't feel comfortable having your parents read an e-mail or text message, don't hit send."

Ward 3 Councillor Jan Mowbray made a point of not using the word accident during her discussion on road safety.

She said most crashes and injuries are due to conscious decisions on the part of motorists, using an example of how a Guelph woman lost her baby in a collision after not fastening the child's safety seat.

"I can't think of anything worse than to lose one's child, but with the effects of a crash often we lose sight of the root causes behind them," said Mowbray, who over the years has done a lot of work to improve road safety in rural Milton.

Speaking to the concerns of a Hornby-area woman, the rural councillor said it's not Milton's population boom and a lack of adequate roadways that are to blame for rising accidents.

"Widening roads just give drivers more opportunity to speed," said Mowbray, who did take the idea of having more safety-related signs in certain rural areas under advisement.

Mowbray noted how setting up radar watches through her Milton Road Safety committee has significantly reduced speeding in parts of Campbellville and surrounding areas. However, she added that road safety is up to everyone, and that people have to start abandoning the whole 'It's the other guy's fault' mindset.

The meeting also included talks on powers of attorney and the neighbourhood watch program.

Milton Community Policing Committee Chair Tony Lambert spoke about how establishing a neighbourhood watch in his Hawthorne Village neighbourhood has met with tangible results -- most notably an incident of harassment that was stymied before it had a chance to escalate.

"We've become empowered," he said, explaining that neighbourhoods have to demonstrate enough of a commitment to the initiative in order to be registered with the Town. "It's about being the eyes and ears of your community."

Meanwhile, Const. Jackie Brennan -- part of Halton Regional Police's Elderly Services Unit -- revealed how elderly abuse is becoming a growing problem in Halton. And, she noted, a significant number of these incident involve seniors being taken advantage of by their children.

The elderly services co-ordinator said the best way to combat these types of situations is by having a power of attorney.

Less than a dozen residents attended the meeting, with the low turnout due in part to the unusually favourable weather and late-summer vacations.

Steve LeBlanc can be reached at sleblanc@miltoncanadianchampion.com.