Police increased their patrols around Bromley in south-east London after receiving four separate reports of “suspected” child abduction attempts.
On April 30, an 11-year-old boy was approached by a man in a black van on Whitmore Road in Beckenham who asked him if he wanted a lift.
On the same day, an eight-year-old boy was reportedly approached by a man in the wooded area of Kelsey Park.
A third boy said he was followed on the street by a man on Wednesday and reported the incident to his school staff the next day.
A “lack of similarities” to the incident indicated that it was unrelated to the first two reports, Metropolitan Police said.
Police were alerted to an incident at The Glades shopping center on Friday where two men allegedly walked behind a girl and attempted to grab her hand before leaving.
The Met said the incident was unrelated to any of the others.
Superintendent Andy Brittain said, “I am aware of various reports online both in the news and on social media and fully understand the concerns of parents in light of these reports.
“I encourage the public to remain vigilant, but not to be unduly alarmed.
“Kidnappings or kidnappings are, fortunately, incredibly rare, but we are not complacent.
“In order to reassure the community, we have strengthened our visible presence in areas where young people can congregate and I urge anyone who feels worried or worried to approach my officers.
“I strongly encourage members of the public to contact our officers if they have any concerns or have information that could be of use to our investigations.”
None of the children were abducted or injured in any of the four reported incidents, the Met said.
Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or tweet @MetCC. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-08 03:18:00
