Police alert public about suspicious incident at southeast playground

Calgary police have issued a public alert after reports of a man’s inappropriate interactions with children at a southeast playground on the weekend.

In the alert issued Tuesday, police said they received a report on Sunday that around 3 p.m., four children between the ages of nine and 11 were playing at a playground in the 13000 block of Parkside Drive S.E. when they were approached by a man.

“The children reported the man asked them for help in locating a piece of jewelry and offered them candy in exchange for their assistance,” police said. “After the children declined the offer, the man allegedly made inappropriate comments and took inappropriate photos of the female children.”

The children went home and reported the incident to their parents, who called police.

Despite searching the area, police couldn’t find anyone matching the description provided.

The man is described as about five feet eight inches tall, with tattoos on his neck, a bald spot on his head, and wearing plaid shorts and a grey sweater with the word “hockey” in white lettering.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

The police service is encouraging parents to teach their children to actively resist, shout out loud and draw attention to themselves in the event of an attempted abduction.