Fears rising ... a terrifying spate of attempted abductions, in which both young boys and girls have been targeted, has parents worried for their children.
Boy`s attempted abduction latest in a spate
Police criticised for not being more open
Works in favour of criminals - Opposition
TWO women tried to snatch a nine-year-old boy as he walked home from school in the latest in a spate of attempted child abductions but the public wasn`t told about it for a day.
The incident in Sydney on Wednesday, which police did not inform the public about until yesterday, has put pressure on New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione to release details of crime more promptly.
Police said the boy was walking along a street in Werrington on Wednesday afternoon when a four-wheel-drive pulled alongside.
"Two female occupants of the vehicle allegedly offered the boy a lift," a police spokesman said yesterday.
"The boy continued walking (and when) the occupants again offered him a lift ... he ran into land at the end of a cul-de-sac."
The boy`s mother, who was on her way to pick him up, saw him running, picked him up and told police.
As police released details of the Werrington incident, a 15-year-old schoolgirl was being stalked by a stranger at St Mary`s.
The teenager girl was approached by a young man as she walked to school at 8am.
The girl told police she ignored the driver`s stares, but spotted his car parked near her school.
The driver called out to the girl before getting out of the vehicle, police said.
As the girl walked towards a nearby friend`s house, the man drove off.
And as criticism mounted at delays by police in releasing information, another case emerged in which it took five days for the public to be alerted to an attack in Blacktown.
Two girls were walking towards their school when a man told them to get in his car.
The girls, aged 11 and 12, were followed before they ran to school and told teachers.
Police have been criticised for not releasing details of serious crimes since police radios were encrypted in May.
The new system means the media, and the public, do not find out about incidents until notified by police, often many hours or several days after the event.
"Secrecy and a lack of confidence in not revealing things to the public actually has the potential to work in favour of the criminals," Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher sid yesterday.
Fears rising ... a terrifying spate of attempted abductions, in which both young boys and girls have been targeted, has parents worried for their children.
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kids should be told to memorize number plates or as much of the number plate as they can and possibly the make,.
Posted by: justice of null 2:46am today
I was offer a ride by a group of women the other night, it was pretty scary, I informed them I was a 29 year old man and that I did not want any trouble. They then tried to pull me into the car and said they were going to kiss me rapidly, I burst into tears, the police sadly did not believe my story.
Posted by: Shane of Melbourne 1:44am today
I am now a grown woman but I would like to report that this sort of thing happened to me at least 20 times over the length of my 12 school years in trhe area of Balwyn, Melbourne. Two or three times men were sitting in cars masturbating over school girls coming out of the schools, then they would follow us in their cars and ask us to get in.I was much too shy and embarrassed to tell my parents at the time and have actually never told them at all. These incidences are common and should bemuch more easily discussed between children, their parents and teachers. I think the danger is more frequent than we realise. My sister was attacked whilst she was sun-bathing on the beach at Sunshine Beach, Qld.buy a man who tried to force her into his parked car, luckily she was saved by our brother and my niece was almost dragged into a car on her way to school, but managed to escape, in Brisbane. I am lucky that nothing ever happened to me but it could have quite easily. There should be much more policing of the streets during the school times.
Posted by: B.B. Sehr 1:17am today
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