Police are encouraging people not to engage in “vigilante behaviour” after reports of an attempted kidnapping in Porirua.
The alleged incident took place earlier this week, and it was reported that a man had attempted to get a woman into a black van.
Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Middlemiss said officers had made “extensive inquiries” into the incident, “however at this stage, we have not been able to fully establish what has occurred”.
“We know reports like this can cause great alarm in the community, however police have received a call from an innocent person who was accosted by a member of the public, wrongly accusing him of being involved.”
Middlemiss said police were also aware of social media posts encouraging “vigilante behaviour”, which he called “incredibly concerning”.
“Police take matters like this very seriously, but anyone attempting to take the law into their own hands could face charges,” he said.
“We urge the community to bear in mind that not everything you read online is what it seems.”
Middlemiss asked anyone with legitimate information about what happened to call police via 105.