Police letters sent to Wirral schools following “suspicious incidents”

Jan 25 2012 by Helen Hunt, Birkenhead News

EVERY parent in Wirral has been urged to make sure their children do not walk to school alone after pupils were targeted by flashers.

Letters have gone out to all schools in the borough from Wirral police chief Chief Inspector Phil Davies calling for vigilance following what he termed as a number of “suspicious incidents” this month.

The top cop reminded parents to educate their children about not talking to strangers and said that patrols had been stepped up in the area. But he also told them to ignore online and school gate gossip over possible abductions, saying officers had no confirmed reports of attempted or actual abductions.

One concerned parent whose child goes to secondary school said: “Lots of rumours are going around that there had been an attempted abduction. My daughter wanted me to pick her up from school because there’s a part of her journey home that she walks on her own rather than with friends.

“Parents and children are all concerned about it.”

The suspicious incidents, which are not being linked by police, all involved a man indecently exposing himself to teenage girls.

A flasher exposed himself to a 15-year-old and her mum as they walked along Ingleborough Road, Rock Ferry, around 3pm on January 2.

As they approached the junction of Malvern Grove, they realised the man, in his 50s or 60s, had lowered his trousers and was indecently exposing himself to them. He walked off down Malvern Grove and police believe the man, described as having greying hair, may have left in a black or dark-coloured Ford estate car with distinctive silver roof bars.

Eight days later, a 15-year-old girl was confronted by a flasher in his 20s, who exposed himself after asking his victim the time as she walked home from school in Bidston Village.

Police have praised the teenager for walking away and immediately telling her parents.

And at around 4pm on January 6 an eight-year-old girl was returning home after playing with friends when she was confronted by a man getting out of a white van on Wallsingham Road, Wallasey.

Ch Insp Davies said “all incidents like this are being treated extremely seriously” and officers had made four arrests in connection with the incidents.

He said: “Our advice is always that young children are accompanied to and from school by a parent or adult carer, and that older children always walk in a group. Children of all ages are encouraged to always report any suspicious behaviour to a parent or teacher, who can then call the police.”

On bogus claims of abductions, he warned that “misinformation can spread”, adding:

“I can assure you no confirmed reports have been received by the police and none of the above incidents I refer to have occurred at schools.”