POLICE APPEAL: Incident on Sydenham Park Road 11th March

[admin]

Police are appealing for information following an incident at Sydenham Park Road SE26 on Monday 11 March.

The incident occurred at approximately 08:40 hours and involved a 10 year old boy who had been approached from behind by a man who attempted to pull him by his shoulders backwards.

The suspect is described as a black man approximately 6ft in height and was seen wearing a hat, a black coat with a Union Jack flag on it on his right chest

Under his coat, the man was seen wearing a black and white top with a white skull on it and was wearing a gold hexagon shaped ring on the little finger of his left hand

He was also seen in possession of a vehicle described as a blue van, with a window at the back and a door which could open upwards

Detective Inspector Lesley Hamilton, Lewisham CID said: "We would like to stress that this incident is not being linked to any other previously reported to us.

"Equally whilst we understand that parents are concerned we do not wish to cause alarm and continue to ask them and their children to remain vigilant.

"We also encourage members of the public to contact us with any information regarding this incident "

Safer Neighbourhoods Teams in Lewisham continue to work closely with local schools and, where necessary, have increased patrols.

Anyone with information can contact Lewisham CID directly on 020 8284 8324; if you wish to remain anonymous please call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

[mrchives]

is that all ?
is this attempted kidnap then?
The Police wont bother investigating. They are a joke in this area.

[bensonby]

is that all ?

What do you mean by that? They have put out a press release with a very detailed description of the incident and a very detailed suspect description. What else do you need?

is this attempted kidnap then?

Who knows? Possibly. It's a pretty concise factual description of what apparently happened.

The Police wont bother investigating.

What a bizarre assertion.

[caz]

How is this incident 'not linked' to other recent abduction attempts? And how are two police officers standing outside a local school going to prevent children being abducted on their way to school? Is there anything that can be done to reduce the risk of this happening again? Is there anything local parents can, or should, do?

I don't have any answers. But I very much hope that the children involved in these incidents are not too traumatised and will recover quickly.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[admin]

Caz: I think you are referring to this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21347281
http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8964

You will note the descriptions are different hence a connection cannot be assumed.

Mr Chives: There are good police and bad police. That's no excuse for not co-operating on this issue. Our local police have kids too so have a very personal interest in sorting it. Please help if you can.

Admin

[elle]

It's extremely worrying. We have recently brought a place in Sydenham and are moving to the area soon with our young son. Of course, these sorts of horrible things can happen anywhere but I can't help but worry about our decision now

[fishcox]

Like you say - happens anywhere - just look after your kids, and they will be fine.

Alternatively - cheap places in the Malvinas, and safe for the time being.

[Rachael]

It's extremely worrying. We have recently brought a place in Sydenham and are moving to the area soon with our young son. Of course, these sorts of horrible things can happen anywhere but I can't help but worry about our decision now

These things can and do happen anywhere. If it wasn't for the internet you'd probably know nothing about it. Our raised awareness of crime due to social media does not mean crime is on the increase. Relax and enjoy living in Sydenham.

[elle]

You're both right, I know.

Anyway sorry to derail the thread- really hope the police can make progress with this.

[mrchives]

based on the initial original post is what my comments relate to.

The police in this area are a joke.
they never listen to our concerns hence why the police station is being shut.
a lot of them don't even know the law.

I want this person caught as much as the next person, and to solely state that a kid had been grabbed and pulled backwards does not mean ANYTHING.

Eg it could be assumed that based on this lone comment that the pull back was stopping a kid being run over. (unlikely concerning the post, and without facts don't jump on my case)

Whoever posted the story initially should have bothered getting it right in the first place.

[admin]

I posted this story at the request of the police and take complete responsibility for it.

I think you misunderstand the situation here. The police need information and they have to identify the situation they are referring to. They have to be circumspect (and i can see the hand of lawyers here) about what they infer. This could be prejudicial if the affair comes to court. It could also, in the case of this being a misintepreted event, lead to the defamation of an innocent person.

It is not a news story. Its simply a request for vital information.

I think you wrongly link other events. The closure of the police station is a direct result of budget cuts which we, as an electorate, indirectly voted for. The police can listen, can even agree with the local community but whether they can do anything to beat the bean counters is another matter.

I do think you are really being a little negative and distracting to this appeal. Can you please take your issues to another thread?

Admin

[hairybuddha]

--------------------------------------------> To the misinformed ranting thread with ya

[Tim Lund]

A response from our local police about the reports of kidnapping attempts in your area to be circulated to local residents, sent to members of the Sydenham, Forest Hill and Perry Vale ward panels - and to Sydenham and Forest Hill Society representatives - by Lewisham Community Police Consultative Group:

Hi

We understand the concerns you and other parents have and the need to know what is happening.

We are happy that you have emailed us directly so you can confirm the facts

As it stands there has only been one incident of attempted abduction which occurred on 5th February at Thorpewood Avenue, details available here http://content.met.police.uk/Appeal/App ... 7246764187

On 27 February 2013 and 28 February we were made aware of three incidents and it was established those incidents are not criminal offences

There was an incident on Monday 11th March 2013 occurred at Sydenham Park Road and at this time that is being treated as an assault not as an attempted abduction. Details of that incident can be found here http://content.met.police.uk/Appeal/Ass ... 7246764187 and we are appealing for information

None of these incidents are being treated as linked/connected

School officers and Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNTs) in Lewisham are continuing to work closely with local schools and, where necessary, have increased patrols.

We continue to talk to local schools about child safety and to ensure that the information being shared and sent to parents is factually accurate.

We are specifically asking the schools to ensure that they liaise with a police officer prior to sending correspondence that may alarm or distress parents unnecessarily

Please can you share this with other parents who are equally concerned and would like information on what we are actually dealing with, there has been the suggestion through social media sites and equally blogs that we are dealing with numerous attempted abductions and linked incidents which is not the case.

Regarding the incident on 5th February and the incident on 11th March, we have sent out a media appeal for information both locally and regionally.

Equally Detectives have handed out leaflets with information on the two incidents to those that live nearby to where they have occurred in order to locate any potential witnesses.

SNTs where necessary have increased their patrols as we have already stated above

Contact has been made with all headteachers in the borough regarding what we are doing

We are equally reminding parents to remind their children not to talk to strangers, to frequent crowded places, if alarmed to go into a shop and alert an assistant, or to approach a police officer, to not approach people who solicit them from a parked car and for parents to accompany much younger children to and from school.

I hope this provides you with a detailed explanation and allays some of your fears

[admin]

Thank you Tim. Very helpful.

Admin