An incident in Surrey's Newton area has led Mounties to remind parents of the importance of advising their children to stay an arm’s reach from strangers, among other things.
On Saturday, a man allegedly asked a child to help him look for something he’d lost in a wooded area near the 7600-block of 125 Street.
Cpl. Joanie Sidhu, Surrey RCMP, said in a news released that the "suspicious circumstance" occurred shortly before 1 p.m.
After the suspect repeatedly tried to have the child enter the woods with him, a passerby intervened.
“A bystander who witnessed this incident confronted the unknown man and he fled the area,” explained Sidhu.
Police released a composite sketch of the suspect, who is described as a six-foot-tall possibly Middle Eastern man in his early 40s.
During the time of the incident, the man in question was bald and had “waxy-looking” skin, with a grey sweater and black sweatpants, added Sidhu.
Stranger safety tips
Mounties are advising parents to remind their children to not go anywhere with someone they don’t know.
“If a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop them from pulling you away,” she added. “Drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite, and scream," said Sidhu.
"Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you. If someone is dragging you away, scream, ‘this is not my dad,’ or “this is not my mom'.'
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477.
