Parikiaki is warning all parents, grandparents and carers to be extremely careful and vigilant when out and about with their children and grandchildren, after a parent of our community has spoken of the terrifying moment his three-year-old daughter was nearly abducted from outside their home in Cockfosters.
Speaking to Parikiaki, the father of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said, “My wife, who was pregnant at the time, was loading our eldest child into the car, and as she went to get our youngest child, who was waiting at the front door, she noticed a white van turn the corner onto our road and then start to slow down. She turned around to see that the van had almost come to a complete stop by our car and as she went to approach it, the van quicky sped off. She believes there was a man and woman in the vehicle, both Eastern European looking.”
He added, “She called me asking that I check the CCTV to see what happened. The footage shows the driver with his door open as he begins to slow down – this indicates he was ready to jump out – and as my wife turns back to our car, they speed off.”
The shaken father continued, “We called the police to report the incident and registration number of the van but they said they can’t do anything because no crime was committed. They didn’t even track or run a check on the number plate. I find it appalling that even though this was reported on 20th October and a crime reference number was issued, no one has bothered to get in touch with us. Yes, on this occasion no crime was committed, but you only have to look at the CCTV to see it was very obvious that the aim was to abduct my child. This was a failed attempt but how do we know the next time they see an opportunity, it might not end the same way?”
These people are still out there – possibly part of an organised crime ring – and could be a danger to other children, so please do not leave your children unattended at any time, whether it’s a walk in the park, supermarket shopping or visiting a friend’s house, it only takes a split second for something unfortunate to happen, and sadly these particular incidents are becoming all too common in the north London area.