17 Sep 2018

Another suspicious approach to Dunedin schoolchildren

10:43 am on 17 September 2018

From the Otago Daily Times

[s Two more children have been subjected to a suspicious approach in Dunedin.

Two more children have been subjected to a suspicious approach in Dunedin.

A police car parked on the street.

Police confirmed they had received a report but said it was unlikely to generate a positive lead unless further information came to light. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A Ravensbourne father, who asked to remain anonymous, said his nine-year-old son and the boy's friend, a nine-year-old girl, were walking together along Wanaka St about 12pm on Saturday.

The children said they were approached near Ravensbourne School by a man wearing a hi-vis vest who asked to take their photo, the boy's father said. The pair were alarmed by the approach and ran home.

"They did the right thing and got out of there. They were pretty upset when they got home."

The father said he was worried about the man wearing a hi-vis vest, as this could signal to children he was an authority figure.

One child described the man as "Asian" while the other said he was "dark-skinned".

A police spokeswoman confirmed they had received a report about the incident, but it was unlikely to generate a positive lead unless further information came to light.

"We did receive a report but the two children gave us very different descriptions of the man allegedly involved."

Police were not aware of any other suspicious approaches in the city in the past three days, the spokeswoman said.

The number of reported suspicious approaches to children over the past two weeks now stands at five.

No arrests have been made in relation to the reports.

The other reports have been from Halfway Bush, two from Wakari and one from George St near Warrender St.

*This story was first published on the [ https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/more-children-approached Otago Daily Times]