Esplande Reserve leading towards Elms Reserve at the Matua Salt Marsh, where at least two children have been suspiciously approached by a man. Photo/George Novak
Esplande Reserve leading towards Elms Reserve at the Matua Salt Marsh, where at least two children have been suspiciously approached by a man. Photo/George Novak
Police are urging parents to be on the alert following a spate of reports of a man approaching children in Tauranga.
Local schools say they are in constant contact with police, with one putting extra teachers on duty as a precaution.
Senior Sergeant Mark Pakes said the reports of a man suspiciously approaching school-aged children started on July 5.
Two incidents occurred in the Matua salt marsh, one in Pillans Point, one at Fergusson Park and another on Little John Dr.
When the Bay of Plenty Times earlier this month asked about reports of schoolchildren being approached, police stated at the time there were aware of some incidents, but there did not appear to be a pattern to them. Read more here.
An aerial shot of Matua, Tauranga, where a man has reportedly been approaching schoolchildren, prompting warnings to the community. Photo/file
Now, Pakes said further investigations into the five incidents indicated "there may be a link between these occurrences".
Another case involving a man approaching children was reported to police last week, after an incident on Durham St on Wednesday night. However, police say initial inquiries suggest this case is not linked to the other five.
"The children and families involved in these incidents are being spoken to, and we will be working closely to support them," Pakes said.
The police's previous advice on how to treat these incidents still stood, he said.
"We understand that these types of incidents can cause a great deal of concern for parents, but our message to the community is to be alert, not alarmed.
"Incidents like this are a timely reminder for families to have discussions around behaviours and actions that are inappropriate or that make a child feel uncomfortable, rather than concentrating on the types of people that could harm them.
"We actively encourage people to tell children and young adults to report anything that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. This can be to a trusted adult, a teacher or the police."
Last week, Otumoetai Intermediate School warned parents via email and Facebook "there is a man in the Otumoetai, Matua, Pillans Point area approaching young people".
The man was described as a middle-aged white male, six feet tall and of medium build.
Principal Henk Popping said he wanted to make parents aware and to talk to their children about "if there is a male coming close to you, or lays a hand on you, to have a plan to deal with it".
"That Facebook post had been shared widely, so there's certainly a good level of knowledge out there, so people are being careful," Popping said.
The school had not heard of any other incidents since the original one which prompted the warning.
Pillans Point School principal Matt Simeon said yesterday that he had been in constant contact with the police.
"They phoned me most recently this morning, and we're kind of following the lead of Otumoetai Intermediate."
Simeon said they were keeping the school community informed and were also sharing information on social media.
"We also have Keeping Ourselves Safe going in our school at the moment, which doesn't address that type of stuff perfectly, but it allows teachers to have those conversations at the right times with their kids."
He said the police were being really open and transparent and were remaining vigilant and in contact with them.
Meanwhile, Matua School principal Craig Wallis said his school was putting extra teachers on duty in the early mornings and after school "just to make sure we're being vigilant there".
He said they were working with the police to communicate with the school community.
"We've got a duty of care to make sure our kids are safe, so we're getting all the information out we can, working with police.
"As recently as today, the education officer was in touch, and we've been able to share a description with our community. Unfortunately, they [the incidents] seem to be continuing to pop up."
Wallis said while the police have been careful not to make too much of a link, "they recognise that there are some similarities in these".
"So we're encouraging our parents if anything happens like that, to report straight to the police so they can get onto it, and they've indicated that they will get on to it really quickly."
