A man has been arrested in Christchurch following reports of female students being approached by a “suspicious person” offering cash for “inappropriate favours”.
An investigation was launched by police after it received “reports of concern” in the Merivale and St Albans areas on August 4.
Police said yesterday that a man was allegedly offering cash in return for “inappropriate favours”.
Letters were sent to 11 schools in the area, alerting them to the incidents.
Detective Constable Andrea McDowell said this “resulted in more reports of students being approached”.
Officers made inquiries and checked CCTV footage.
A 53-year-old man was due to appear in the Christchurch District Court today, charged with breaching release conditions.
“We want to thank the community for their caring response and for providing the information that helped us to identify the man,” McDowell said.
“Reports like this are concerning, and we hope the arrest brings some comfort to the community.”
McDowell said it was a reminder for parents to educate their children on how to keep themselves safe when walking to and from school, to be mindful of their surroundings, to have discussions about inappropriate behaviour, and to reinforce that if they or someone else feels unsafe, to call 111.
