A SCHOOL has apologised after sending out a distressing message falsely alleging that someone had ‘attempted to abduct’ an 11-year-old girl - and police are now asking that concerned parents avoid ‘taking their own action’.
Screenshots of a message describing the alleged attempted abduction at a school in Shafton were sent out by staff at Brierley CofE Primary School and spread like wildfire on social media on Wednesday evening.
The fear came only days after a similar event occurred on Monday evening, when a 14-year-old girl was walking along Shafton High Street only for a silver car to pull up alongside her.
The man driving the car is alleged to have got out of the vehicle and tried to engage with the girl, asking her if she was okay before she ran off - police are currently investigating.
In response to the growing panic, locals in Shafton suggested they were going to begin patrolling the streets to allay people’s fears.
However, after South Yorkshire Police (SYP) confirmed they’ve heard no reports of a school abduction, Brierley headteacher Sam Benson has apologised for causing alarm.
She said: “We apologise to anyone who was alarmed by the message we sent out to parents.
“We wanted to warn people as soon as we heard about an incident nearby, however, in hindsight we should have verified the details before sharing it.”
Police have urged people to avoid taking their own actions and said there will be increasing patrols in the area.
Inspector Richard Mangham said: “I understand incidents of this nature can cause concern and I want to reassure the community that we are aware of the reported incident on January 27.
“At this time, no other reports of this nature have been made to us and there are a number of lines of enquiry we are continuing to follow up, and we are in contact with the victim and her family.
“While we understand residents desire to keep their community safe, I want to reiterate that we have officers working hard to investigate these reports, including delivering extra patrols in the area, and I would urge residents to avoid speculation and taking their own action.
“This could jeopardise our ongoing inquiry.
“Anyone with information or concerns about this incident is encouraged to report it to police, by calling 101 and quoting incident number 268 of January 28.”
