Police calm parents after girl claims she was followed (From Hampshire Chronicle)
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Police reassure parents after young girl claims she was followed by man in Boyatt Wood, Eastleigh
10:58am Thursday 10th January 2013 in Education
By Julian Robinson, Eastleigh Chief Reporter
Girl claims she was followed home from school
POLICE have this morning moved to allay fears among parents after a schoolgirl reported being followed by a man.
The nine-year-old was walking along a footpath off Shakespeare Road in Boyatt Wood, Eastleigh when she started to become “uncomfortable” about the presence of a man behind her.
She ran to her mother's car and the man walked past without stopping. The scenario unfolded as children were being picked up after school yesterday.
Police say they have talked to the family and that the man made no attempt to speak to the girl or attract her attention.
A spokesman said it appeared to be an “innocent” occurrence but that extra police patrols were being rolled out in the area to provide reassurance for parents.
Eastleigh Police Sergeant Chris Spellerberg added: “It appears on this occasion that there is no cause for concern.
“It is reassuring that children are alert to potential dangers and that the young girl had the confidence to discuss the matter with her mother.
“We'd encourage anyone with a concern not to keep it to themselves, we also need to ensure children and parents feel confident and safe in their communities.
“We regularly have officers on patrol in the vicinity of schools at the start and end of the school day, including this week. We'd also encourage any parents with questions or concerns they have to speak to us.”
Comments(8)
gazdance
says...
12:21pm Thu 10 Jan 13
Outside of the Box
says...
12:37pm Thu 10 Jan 13
Forest Resident wrote:The old adage '' Prevention is better than cure'' comes to mind, child safety should be paramount in this day and age.
If the man made no attempt to engage with the girl in any way, shape, or form why on earth are valuable police resources being wasted on an innocent occurrence? It is a sad reflection on our society if male cannot walk within a mile radius of a school without beng deemed 'suspicious' purely because of his presence.
xcomicx
says...
3:22pm Thu 10 Jan 13
Very said that some people don't read the whole story before they make some comments.
Wonder what they would have done if it was there child!!!!!
cantthinkofone
says...
5:41pm Thu 10 Jan 13
Southampton parents appear to love a bit of stranger danger hysteria. Unfortunately, they're passing it on to their children, who are growing up in a state of unjustified fear.
A degree of caution is sensible. But the truth is that the VAST majority of harm to children comes from their parents or others that they know. The paedo stranger lurking to snatch children away exists, but is very, very, very rare. It's very sad that we're conditioning our children to believe that there are perverts and psychopaths hiding in every shadow.
xcomicx
says...
6:40pm Thu 10 Jan 13
It's a very sad state of affairs that kids either get scared or frightened of a situation and can't tell there parents in fear of people calling them liars for telling the truth on how they feel.
And any decent parent would report it to either the school or police or both and either the school or police would report to each other.
Now I ask YOU what would you do if that was your child!!!!!
richieroo
says...
7:28pm Thu 10 Jan 13
cantthinkofone wrote:Exactly!, it's no more than a sensationalist storm in a tea cup.
There are dozens of these stories in the Echo every year, and almost all end up revealed as kids that have an overactive and paranoid imagination (or on occasion are just downright making stuff up). Southampton parents appear to love a bit of stranger danger hysteria. Unfortunately, they're passing it on to their children, who are growing up in a state of unjustified fear. A degree of caution is sensible. But the truth is that the VAST majority of harm to children comes from their parents or others that they know. The paedo stranger lurking to snatch children away exists, but is very, very, very rare. It's very sad that we're conditioning our children to believe that there are perverts and psychopaths hiding in every shadow.
More than likely the chap was on his way to B&Q or the Sorting Office to collect a parcel & probably wasn't even aware of the child as he made no attempt to interact with her etc etc!.
cantthinkofone
says...
8:07pm Thu 10 Jan 13
xcomicx wrote:Try reading my post again. See if you can comprehend its meaning this time.
So you are say 99% of kids are liars or the parents are to blame for the way they are raised?
It's a very sad state of affairs that kids either get scared or frightened of a situation and can't tell there parents in fear of people calling them liars for telling the truth on how they feel.
And any decent parent would report it to either the school or police or both and either the school or police would report to each other.
Now I ask YOU what would you do if that was your child!!!!!
:-)
Forest Resident says...
11:37am Thu 10 Jan 13