Parents’ concerns after children are approached by men
POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING INCIDENTS INVOLVING WHITE VANS
SHOCKED parents have spoken out after a man in a white van allegedly grabbed a Newcastle school pupil just hours after approaching a group of children.
Police are investigating three incidents in which men in a white van are reported to have approached schoolchildren in Gosforth and Newburn.
On one occasion, a girl is alleged to have had her hand grabbed by one man in the van in Gosforth.
Northumbria Police stressed the incident is being treated as a potential assault, not an attempted abduction.
Officers are investigating reports Gosforth Central Middle School pupils were approached on the morning of September 19, hours before the alleged assault.
They are also looking into reports that a van driver approached three young people on Hareside Walk in Newburn last weekend.
Police said the two incidents in Gosforth could be linked, but the third in Newburn is being investigated as a separate incident.
One week on, some parents have expressed their concerns.
A Newburn parent, who lives with her nine-year-old near Hareside Walk, said she’s too afraid to let her child go out alone. She said: “It’s really distressing for parents around here, I know everybody is really concerned about what is going on.
“I don’t want to let my son go out alone at the moment because we don’t know what’s going on. I usually let them walk part of the way to the bus stop by themselves but he needs to go down a secluded street, so I’ve started walking him all the way to the stop.
“The police have tried to reassure me but until I know what’s going on I’m not taking any chances.”
A Gosforth parent added: “My daughter started at Gosforth East Middle School three weeks ago and this news makes us parents sick to our stomach. I hope the police can keep the area safe before and after school and parents and the school are talking to the children about stranger danger.”
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “On Wednesday (September 19) police received reports of a suspicious van believed to have approached students near to Gosforth Middle School in Newcastle.
“We were also made aware of a further report later that day where a man in a van is alleged to have grabbed the hand of a pupil. Officers have since identified the vehicle in question and those believed to be involved.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish if any criminal offences have taken place but officers believe that both reports relate to the same vehicle. Extra patrols will be in the area to offer reassurance to children and their parents.”
Commenting on the Newburn incident, a police spokesman said: “On September 19 police received a report of a suspicious van believed to have approached three young people on Hareside Walk in Newburn over the weekend. Enquiries are ongoing and extra patrols have been tasked to the area to offer reassurance.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101.