KEY POINTS:
Tauranga police have issued an ultimatum to a father responsible for abducting his two young daughters from Child, Youth and Family care.
"He needs to return them immediately if he's to have any hope in the future of having any success in the Family Court," Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said last night.
Jamahl Schou, also known as Jamahl Ake, allegedly took the girls, aged 5 and 6, from the custody of a CYF caregiver at a shopping centre on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said he had breached an order barring him from having contact with his daughters.
They would not disclose if Mr Schou was known to police or the reason the girls were in CYF custody, saying the matter was the subject of Family Court proceedings.
But they and CYF have grave concerns for the girls' welfare and Mr Turner appealed for Mr Schou to come forward.
"What he needs to realise is that he's not doing his own cause any good," he said.
Police believed members of Mr Schou's family knew where the girls were and also appealed to them to make contact because of worries about the girls' welfare.
"The longer they're away from [CYF], the more fearful I become for their overall welfare," Mr Turner said.
"We can't guarantee their welfare and how they're being fed, housed [and] clothed while they remain with their father."
He said it was not known where Mr Schou might have gone with the girls but he retained strong ties with Tauranga.
Their mother and Mr Schou were separated and the girls had been in CYF custody for some time.
The names and descriptions of the girls were not released because of their age but Mr Schou, 33, is a Maori of medium build.
* Anyone with information is asked to call Tauranga police on (07) 577-4300 or 0800 Speakup (773-2587).
