Police quash rumours of child abductions

Buy photos »

CONCERNED parents have been urged to ignore false rumours of an alleged string of attempted child abductions in Worcester.

West Mercia Police has rubbished claims of up to four attempts to snatch children in Nunnery Wood, which have flooded social media sites including Facebook, causing panic among many worried parents.

There have also been rumours of a silver car approaching children in Rainbow Hill and a woman being abducted and raped.

But the force has moved to quash the rumours, which have also been circulated on emails and text messages, and reassure parents they are completely untrue.

They began to spread after a man tried to grab a girl near Dines Green Primary School as she walked home on Monday, January 16.

We previously reported how a man was arrested in connection with the incident and remains on police bail while the investigation continues.

But Inspector Janet Heritage, who leads local policing in Worcester, said none of the subsequent rumours about alleged abductions or rape were true.

"We had one genuine report near Dines Green School last month and on that occasion we let the public know the details as soon as we could, worked closely with the school to deal with any concerns from parents and put on extra patrols to reassure the community," she said.

"Since then, we have not had a single confirmed report of any similar incidents."

Insp Heritage said she was worried parents, and children in particular, were becoming unnecessarily fearful.

"We are receiving reports of children experiencing suspicious behaviour. We investigate all calls of this nature, however we are finding that the circumstances are not as they may have feared, or are completely innocent," she said.

"While it is important that children are educated about ‘stranger danger' and should be wary of being approached by adults they don't know, the current atmosphere in Worcester seems to be scaring local children unnecessarily and it needs to stop."

Any parents who are worried about any rumours should contact West Mercia Police via Twitter or Facebook or by calling 101.