North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Pupil refuses to get in car with stranger
A boy is being praised for his quick and decisive actions, after refusing to get into the car of stranger who claimed he was sent by the boy’s father.
The suspected child abduction attempt happened on Monday, while the boy was walking home from school.
Vauxhall School principal Gary Lawrence said the year 6 pupil was on Merani St, in Narrow Neck, when a man driving an older-looking red car stopped beside him. The man told the boy he had been sent by the boy’s father to pick him up, and that the boy should get inside the car.
But the boy said ‘‘no’’ and quickly walked home while the man in the car drove off, Lawrence said.
The police were contacted immediately and had been very supportive, talking with both the boy and his mother, he said.
Through the school, the boy had recently taken part in the police programme Keeping Ourselves Safe, which taught children information about stranger danger, as well things like what to do if they see abuse happening, Lawrence said.
‘‘That was fresh in his mind. It was great that he could fall back on that information.’’
The boy did not know the man and knew the story would be incorrect, he said. ‘‘He could tell right away it was a lie.’’
Lawrence described the boy as ‘‘lovely’’ and ‘‘resilient’’. He was back at school on Tuesday.
‘‘From my perspective, and from when I spoke to the police, it was all completely genuine.’’
The police officer who delivered the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme, Senior Constable Murray Fenton, came to Vauxhall School on Tuesday morning to chat with parents and pupils.
‘‘He was just being friendly and visible. That was really, really great that he did that.’’
Lawrence urged parents to be vigilant after the incident and talk with children about what to do in approached by a stranger.
‘‘We said to parents it might be a good idea for kids to walk to school in pairs.’’
Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Murdoch confirmed the incident had been reported to police and enquiries were under way.
He said police wanted to hear from anyone who had seen an ‘‘older style red sedan’’ in Merani St, Narrow Neck, around 3.30pm on June 26.
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