Found an error?
Report now
A man is said to have lured children. (symbolic picture)
KEYSTONE
In Rorschacherberg SG, three schoolchildren independently reported that a man had approached them near the school buildings and tried to get them to get into the car. The school and cantonal police responded immediately.
In Rorschacherberg in the canton of St. Gallen, a series of reports surrounding the two school sites Klosterguet and Wiggenhof are causing unrest. As reported by the "St. Galler Tagblatt", an unknown man in a car near the Wiggenrainstrasse/Klosterguetstrasse junction allegedly approached schoolchildren and tried to get them to get in.
According to information from the school, the man claimed that he was "on behalf of the mother". He is also said to have mentioned sweets in the car. According to the school's letter, a ten-year-old child reacted correctly: he did not respond, ran home at an opportune moment and informed his mother. The mother immediately contacted the St. Gallen cantonal police, who then showed their presence in the region, writes the Tagblatt.
After the first incident, the school in Rorschacherberg set its emergency chain in motion and informed parents via the school app "Pupil". School president Markus Fässler told the St. Galler Tagblatt: "With the app, we can inform parents about such incidents within a few minutes." According to the report, a police leaflet was also sent out with the notification to help parents sensitize children without stirring up fears.
The leaflet emphasizes: "Fear is a bad advisor." According to the Tagblatt, Fässler advises parents to remain calm and explain to children in an age-appropriate manner that they are allowed to say "no" and should not go with strangers or get into cars without permission.
The St. Gallen cantonal police confirmed to the "St. Galler Tagblatt" that there were three reports within a few days: A ten-year-old child had been approached on Monday, a seven-year-old on Tuesday afternoon and a third similar report had been received on Wednesday.
Media spokesman Florian Schneider told the newspaper: "The cantonal police take such reports very seriously and are in contact with the children, their families and the school. Appropriate measures have been taken, which we are not explaining in detail here for tactical reasons."
According to the Tagblatt, the police also announced on Thursday that a man in Rorschach had distributed flyers in letterboxes that matched the message in the reports. This person is asked to report to the Rorschach police station.
According to the Tagblatt, the cantonal police advise people to report such incidents immediately.
