Attempted Child abduction.

[the-e-dealer]

It said "local School" I can work out that means not Heber and I only asked because I was concerned and wanted to see if anyone knew anymore information.

[Chillaxed]

What Otta said.

[Jeremy]

What Chillaxed said.

[Reg Smeeton]

Just for clarification, it's been said that there are about 50 schools that are within a couple of miles of where this incident took place. Can somebody please list any other schools that sent out an urgent warning message to parents to report this "attempted abduction".

If it turns out that other schools (who knows, maybe 49 of them) didn't send out an urgent message on the day, should we be labelling all those schools as irresponsible for not having alerted all their parents about this dangerous incident? Or should we be pleased that they had a "proportionate" response?

[Otta]

Maybe we should do neither, and just forget it and be happy that nothing nasty happened, and nobody has had their life ruined by receiving the text.

Nothing to see here.

[Reg Smeeton]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Maybe we should do neither, and just forget it and

> be happy that nothing nasty happened, and nobody

> has had their life ruined by receiving the text.

>

> Nothing to see here.

Yes, I think you are right.

[Monkey]

Yes, thank you, Otta.

[Tanza]

I picked up a copy of the free paper that's outside William Rose - think it's the Southwark News. The story on the front page says that the adult offering a lift was in fact an off-duty policeman who thought the child looked distressed and so offered a lift. According to the story, the policeman has been spoken to (by superiors?) and now realises the upset his good intentions caused.

[Penguin68]

So, if this report is true, the certainty expressed here that it was definitely an attempted abduction because Heber said so.....?

[henryb]

How sad.

[Otta]

You're absolutely right Penguin, in future they should wait until they know for sure that at least one child has actually been taken, before sending out a well meaning message encouraging people to be careful.

[BrandNewGuy]

I don't think that's the point, Otta. The online world is quick to jump on "information" which can quickly become "fact". It's important from the point of view of crime and how people perceive crime that it's understood that this was an extremely ill-advised attempt to help a child and not an attempted abduction where "a man tried to abduct a Yr 6 child on his way to a local school".

[TheRealMorris]

How about we all agree to disagree, then agree to stop posting on this thread forever.

[the-e-dealer]

I had a message yesterday from Heber "5 children have arrived safely for the residential trip"

As there were thirty five children (and nothing on the news) on the trip I assumed the word "Year " fell off the front of the Message due to a glitch with the BT telling bone.

[Penguin68]

The point I was making, apparently now with some more evidence, is that the only thing that was known to have happened was an attempted offer of a lift. I have never said that the school wasn't right to act with caution, only that the clear and absolute claims of an attempted abduction didn't seem to stand up - as apparently they didn't.

And that just because Heber (not a direct party to the event] said it was an attempted abduction didn't necessarily make it so.

As it turns out, it would seem that the 'no smoke without fire' brigade were, in this instance, wrong, which doesn't mean that I think we should throw all caution to the winds, but does perhaps mean we should not insist a spade is a mechanised 40 ton digger on the rumour that earth might have been shifted, and without further evidence.

[the-e-dealer]

I'd rather be warned if a Head thinks there may be a problem However it was a bit scary for a few seconds . But if we got warnings on daily basis I would begin to wonder.

[Jeremy]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I find it hard to

> believe that any adult would be naive enough to

> offer an innocent lift to a child they'd never met

> before.

I still stand by this. While I have (thankfully) been proved wrong, I still find it incredible that a stranger would offer a lift to a child. He should have known that it would freak out the poor boy.

[alice]

so where has this off duty police officer been last few days? certainly not at work

[the-e-dealer]

ER if the Officer is off duty he or she doesn't have to be at work?

[simonethebeaver]

I have a friend who is a senior police officer and says you are never really off-duty. I can imagine that he would certainly stop for a child alone who looked upset to make sure they were OK. His daughters get embarrassed when he forgets he's not in uniform and he says it's very easy to do.

[the-e-dealer]

Yes its like plumbing you are never far from a dodgy joint.