Detective Senior Sergeant Glenn Wilkinson:

An incident in Queenstown yesterday has prompted Police to encourage parents and caregivers to talk to their children about staying safe when approached by strangers.

A 31-year-old man is due to appear in the Queenstown District Court on 10 August charged with threatening behaviour after allegedly approaching a 16-year-old young woman who was not known to him.

While this matter is now before the courts and we can't disclose specific details, we do want to use this opportunity to commend the actions of our victim.

In this instance, she did everything correctly.

She didn't engage with the person, kept her distance and sought help immediately.

This meant Police could quickly locate the alleged offender.

While yesterday's incident is not common in our Queenstown community, it is the perfect opportunity to remind parents and caregivers to have that discussion with their young people about keeping safe when approached by people they don't know.

Topics of conversation can include not accepting rides from people unless it has been prearranged with a parent or caregiver, keeping a safe distance from people and vehicles they don't know when out alone and recording the details of people and vehicles if this can be done safely without the person noticing.

Anyone requiring information to assist with this topic can also check out our 'Keeping Ourselves Safe' resources on the NZ Police website: NZ Police

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