Attempted kidnap of child in South Shields confirmed as a hoax as police warn against making false reports

Police have confirmed that a report of an attempted kidnapping of a young girl in South Shields was a hoax call as officers warn members of the public about ‘the seriousness’ of making false reports.
By Georgina Cutler
Published 23rd Jul 2021, 09:45 BST
Officers are urging the public to talk to their children about the seriousness of making false reports of hoax calls.Officers are urging the public to talk to their children about the seriousness of making false reports of hoax calls.
Officers are urging the public to talk to their children about the seriousness of making false reports of hoax calls.

Police received a report at around 7.45pm yesterday, Thursday, July 22 of an alleged attempted kidnap on South Avenue in South Shields.

It was reported that a nine-year-old girl had been approached by a male who tried to lead her away.

Officers say that the individual concerned has since confirmed to police that this was a false report and no such incident had occurred.

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Chief Inspector Phil Baker, of Northumbria Police, said: “We take every report we receive extremely seriously and this incident led to a number of police resources being deployed to the area.

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“However, it transpires this was a hoax which proved an unnecessary and unwelcome distraction for officers who were dealing with genuine crimes.

“I would urge parents or guardians to please talk to their children about the seriousness of making false reports of hoax calls. By directing police away from genuine incidents, you could be endangering other people’s lives.”

The Force is now liaising with the child and her family.

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