Attempted abductions - Wicklow Town

BoJack Horseman

Folks are advised to be on the look out for a white Ford Transit van, 17-reg.

There was an attempt to get a child into the van at the Black Castle yesterday on Castle Street.

Today there is report of a similar attempt to get a young girl into this van at Seafield (the estate behind Dunbur Road).

Please be vigilant.

murpho999

I'm always sceptical of these reports as they are always involving a white van.

Atlantic Dawn

It's usually a black van.

Pugzilla

Damn aliens and their anal probes at it again

Reati

murpho999 wrote: »

I'm always sceptical of these reports as they are always involving a white van.

There has been 4 reports in 2 days of the same description of van, driver and partial Reg in Bray and Wicklow town. Same MO too. Approach girl. Ask if she needs lift somewhere if she refuses tries to get her close to van with other questions about direction etc

While I'm skeptical of these thing too normally but these have all been reported to the Gardaí. It's not local town gossip. These people approached felt threatened enough to go the Garda station and report it.

J Mysterio

Pugzilla wrote: »

Damn aliens and their anal probes at it again

I wouldnt make light of this. We have seen an alarming increase in predatory behaviour recently, and very often one incident encourages other creeps to act. We should be vigilant.

murpho999

Reati wrote: »

There has been 4 reports in 2 days of the same description of van, driver and partial Reg in Bray and Wicklow town. Same MO too. Approach girl. Ask if she needs lift somewhere if she refuses tries to get her close to van with other questions about direction etc

While I'm skeptical of these thing too normally but these have all been reported to the Gardaí. It's not local town gossip. These people approached felt threatened enough to go the Garda station and report it.

J Mysterio wrote: »

I wouldnt make light of this. We have seen an alarming increase in predatory behaviour recently, and very often one incident encourages other creeps to act. We should be vigilant.

I don't mean to be flippant but there always reports of near misses involving white vans. It has actually become a running joke where I work that yet another abduction has failed in a white van as they always seem to not get the child into the van.

I fail to see how people can be "vigilant" due to vast number of white vans on the road.

I do think the cases are exaggerated and just increases fear among people that there are pedophiles on every corner.

Reati

murpho999 wrote: »

It has actually become a running joke where I work that yet another abduction has failed in a white van as they always seem to not get the child into the van.

I have to ask where do you work that that comes up as a discussion point?

murpho999 wrote: »

I fail to see how people can be "vigilant" due to vast number of white vans on the road.

It's nothing to do with the "white van" in itself. It's vigilance to reminder parents not leaving kids out in the garden with no supervision. It's about people not walking about head down in a phone and headphones on full blast with no awareness of what's going on around them. People go missing all the time. Just because the news doesn't report on it, doesn't mean it's not happening unfortunately.

murpho999 wrote: »

I do think the cases are exaggerated and just increases fear among people that there are pedophiles on every corner.

The cases of the white van are likely yes, but sexual offences rose by 16.9% YoY and Kidnapping is up 8% YoY so even if it's just fear mongering and makes a young person walking home think twice about "is that van following" me, it's a good thing.

murpho999

Reati wrote: »

I have to ask where do you work that that comes up as a discussion point?

Just to show how often these "warnings" come out and they are always white vans/

It's nothing to do with the "white van" in itself. It's vigilance to reminder parents not leaving kids out in the garden with no supervision. It's about people not walking about head down in a phone and headphones on full blast with no awareness of what's going on around them. People go missing all the time. Just because the news doesn't report on it, doesn't mean it's not happening unfortunately.

I think you are scaremongering. People are no more going missing than years ago.
I think it's safe to leave your children for a period to play in their back garden unsupervised. It's what being a child is all about.

Years ago kids wee out and about and climbing trees etc, nothing happened to 99% of them and kids were more independent than todays overprotected kids who don't walk to school etc.

The cases of the white van are likely yes, but sexual offences rose by 16.9% YoY and Kidnapping is up 8% YoY so even if it's just fear mongering and makes a young person walking home think twice about "is that van following" me, it's a good thing.

Sexual offences range from harrassment to assault not to children being attacked.

Also, I would say most kidnappings relate to robberies and tiger kidnappings.

It does not mean children are being bundled into vans across the country. You would hear an awful lot more about real cases if that were the truth.

Reati

murpho999 wrote: »

Just to show how often these "warnings" come out and they are always white vans

OK Can't say it comes up where I work!

murpho999 wrote: »

I think you are scaremongering. People are no more going missing than years ago.
I think it's safe to leave your children for a period to play in their back garden unsupervised. It's what being a child is all about.

Actually I'd say it happens less than years ago because of tech it's harder not to be caught but it doesn't mean we can't have a bit of cop on and vigilance about the whole thing. For example, robberies are down too but you'd still lock your house doors and car just in case.

It's not scaremongering to say watch / check in on your kids when they play or be careful walking home. Common sense isn't actually as common as you'd think.

btw, few attempts on kids are back gardens (mostly where the kidnapper knows the kids like family dispute etc). They are usually front gardens or the street where it's a predatory attack.

murpho999 wrote: »

Years ago kids wee out and about and climbing trees etc, nothing happened to 99% of them and kids were more independent than todays overprotected kids who don't walk to school etc.

Circumstantial views aside, it'd be great to see any studies that lead you to the today kids are overprotected. This sounds like the "snowflakes" views of today's youth many older people have.

murpho999 wrote: »

Sexual offences range from harassment to assault not to children being attacked.

Also, I would say most kidnappings relate to robberies and tiger kidnappings.

Indeed I agree, as the CSO don't get down into the types of crime. The point is data shows crime is increasing YoY at the moment but it's hard to conclude that does increase the risk of a kidnapping.

murpho999 wrote: »

It does not mean children are being bundled into vans across the country. You would hear an awful lot more about real cases if that were the truth.

Most of the reports from Wicklow have not been targeted at kids but more late Teen girls / early 20's.

w.r.t child kidnap, I'd agree you'd hear about it more as the nationwide child alert system does exactly that.