Police have appealed to the community for information after a young boy was approached by a man in a vehicle at Evans Head on the states North Coast on Monday afternoon, NSW Police say.
About 3.30pm on Monday 8 August 2016, a nine year old boy was walking north on Woodburn Street near the intersection with Cypress Street.
The boy has told police that a white van pulled up next to him and the male occupant spoke to him.
The child ran from the area to a nearby school and subsequently reported the matter to school staff.
Yesterday police from Richmond Local Area Command attended the school and spoke with staff and the boy’s father about the incident.
The boy attended Evans Head Police Station yesterday afternoon yesterday to make an official report of the incident.
Police have conducted a canvass of the area and will maintain regular patrols.
The male driver of the white van has been described to police as being of Caucasian appearance, with a medium build, clean shaven and with short dark hair.
At the time of the incident he was wearing a black hooded jumper, dark pants with white sand shoes and wearing a thin gold necklace.
The vehicle is described as a white van similar to a Ford Transit with tinted windows, yellow and black number plates and two rear panel van doors.
The van had an England sticker on one of the back windows and a yellow leaf shaped air freshner hanging from the rear vision mirror.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1 800 333 000.
Meanwhile, the incident has again prompted police to encourage parents to discuss the ‘Safe People, Safe Places’ messages with their children, including;
- Make sure your parents or another adult you know knows where you are at all times.
- Always walk straight home or to the place you are walking to. Walk near busier roads and streets or use paths where there are lots of people.
- Know where safe places are – a shop, service station, police station, library or school. If you are ever frightened, you should go to one of these places and ask them to call the police.
- Learn about safe adults you can look for and talk to if you need help – police officers, teachers at school, adults you know and trust.
- Don’t talk to people you don’t know and never get into a car with someone you don’t know. If a car stops on the side of the road and you don’t know the person inside, do not stop.
- If you are scared and can use a phone, call 000 and tell them you are scared. If someone tries to grab you, yell out, ‘Go away, I don’t know you’. This lets other people know you have been approached by someone you don’t know.
Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
