Shropshire parents warned after attempted abduction of boy, 11
Parents across Shropshire are being warned not to let their children walk to and from school alone following an attempted abduction.
Police today confirmed they have received reports of a "suspicious incident" involving an 11-year-old boy walking home from school.
Detectives say the boy shouted "no" to the man and ran home, with the car seen to drive off in the direction of Trehowell Lane in the village.
The incident happened in in Weston Rhyn, when a man in a black car called out and falsely claimed that he had been asked to pick him up by the boy's mother.
The boy had been walking home in the Long Croft area after getting off a school bus at around 3.55pm on Wednesday when he was approached.
Today Shropshire Council said it has alerted parents across the county using its text messaging system.
The council's crime prevention officer Ian Bartlett said: "There has been a recent attempted abduction of a pupil walking home from school in the Weston Rhyn area. The police are involved and are advising pupils and students not to walk to or from school alone."
Parents of all children at primary and secondary schools across Shropshire received the message yesterday.
Police say the man who approached the boy is described as white, aged in his late 20s with short, straight brown hair and spoke with a Liverpudlian accent.
He is also described as being tall and thin and was wearing a black jacket with a white logo on it.
The car is believed to be a Renault Clio and is described as black with a silver triangle logo on the front.
Officers from Oswestry Safer Neighbourhood Team have been conducting reassurance patrols in the area and are appealing to the local community to report any suspicious incidents to them.
Paul Roberts, a spokesman for the force, said: "We would ask children to never go off with anyone they do not know, get into a vehicle with a stranger, accept gifts off a stranger or wander off on their own."
If you have any information that may help police with their enquiries call West Mercia Police on 101 and quote reference 481s of October 12, 2016.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
For further tips on personal safety, visit the West Mercia Police website westmercia.police.uk/article/1973/Children-youth-and-schools
