Girl, 10, approached several times by truck driver, police told

Saanich police are investigating after an incident Tuesday in which a 10-year-old girl revealed that she had been approached a number of times by the driver of a white pickup truck.

Police were called to the girl’s school in the Lakehill area just after 8 a.m. after the child told school staff that while she was walking to school, she noticed a man get out of his vehicle and stare in her direction, making her feel uncomfortable but she continued to school.

Officers came to the school and spoke to the girl.

It turned out the Tuesday incident was the latest in a number of unsettling encounters she had experienced.

“In either late November or early December the girl was walking along Ambassador Avenue when she noticed a man driving a white truck who fingered her without comment,” Acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie said in a statement.

“In late December 2016, the girl was walking along McBriar Avenue when she observed the same vehicle travelling in the same direction as her at low speed.

“In January 2017, the girl was walking on Borden Street when the same truck stopped near her and the driver asked if she needed a ride. The girl didn’t engage in conversation and ran home.”

The pickup truck may have a black tool box in the bed. The driver is described as a white man, 50 to 60 years old, with a thin build, reddish-brown hair and with a goatee.

Police are reminding parents to talk with their children about potentially dangerous situations, advising that they teach kids to trust their instincts, not keep secrets and talk with a trusted adult about things they find suspicious.

Anyone with any information in relation to these incidents is asked to call police at 250-475-4321.