Tauranga Intermediate student approached by man in vehicle, police investigating

A Tauranga school has sent out a warning to parents after a man approached two pupils and tried to “entice” them into his vehicle.

Tauranga Intermediate principal Cameron Mitchell said in one case a student said a man in a vehicle approached them near Scout Reserve on May 11.

The student alleged the man “tried to entice them towards the vehicle”.

“There was no physical contact, but they said: ‘Hey, what are you up to, come and look at this,’” Mitchell said.

He said that student mentioned the incident to a friend said the same thing happened to them the night before.

He said the school community was being more vigilant but it was good the student had their wits about them.

The intermediate had notified other local primary schools to let them know about the report, he said, wanting to inform but not alarm the community.

The school was focused on making sure students knew about safety and making the right decisions in those situations.

Police officers would also visit local schools to provide some reassurance and general safety advice, the spokeswoman said.

“We know that reports of incidents such as these can cause considerable concern for parents and other members of our community.

“We would urge everyone to be alert, not alarmed, and to take the opportunity to have conversations with your children about what they should do should they feel unsafe.”

A police spokeswoman said officers were looking into the allegations after school students reported “suspicious behaviour” by a man on 19th and 20th Ave.

These incidents allegedly happened on the evening of May 10 and the morning of May 11.

Police were undertaking a “number of inquiries, including reviewing available CCTV footage from the area”.

Police would like to hear from anyone who has information.

If you can help, contact police via 105 or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report. Please reference file number 230511/8498.