Christchurch Police have arrested a person following reports of students being approached by a suspicious person.

Police began investigating after reports of concern in the Merivale and St Albans areas of Christchurch on 4 August, making enquiries and checking CCTV to identify the man involved.

To open up further lines of enquiry, a letter was sent to 11 schools in the area alerting them to the offending, which resulted in more reports of students being approached.

A 53-year-old man is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court today on charges of breaching release conditions.

We want to thank the community for their caring response and for providing the information that helped us to identify the man.

Reports like this are concerning and we hope the arrest brings some comfort to the community.

It is also a good reminder for parents to:

Educate children on how to keep themselves safe when they’re walking to and from school – to be mindful of their surroundings and not get distracted. Have open discussions around behaviours and actions that are inappropriate or that make a child feel uncomfortable. Reinforce that if they feel concerned for themselves or someone else’s safety, call 111 immediately.

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