By ALESHA CAPONE
BRIMBANK City Council has warned families about the occupants of a suspicious white van harassing young sports players in St Albans and Niddrie.
The council has sent out a letter, based on information provided by a Brimbank soccer club, advising sports groups to report shady behaviour to police.
The suspicious white van was spotted on a Sunday at the St Albans Churchill Reserve in Fox St.
The letter, from a council sport and recreation officer, said a number of junior soccer clubs were playing and socialising at the reserve, when the van was seen “driving up and down neighbouring streets for a period of time”.
“The van was approached by club members to see if they were after any assistance, though it simply sped off.
“Shortly after, the same van drove into the reserve car park where the driver began socialising with a group of junior members, asking inappropriate questions.
“When the juniors raised the alarm, senior members approached the van, but again it left quickly.”
The letter said police who attended the club reported the same white van had been seen “undertaking the same suspicious activities in the Niddrie area”.
After the letter was posted on Facebook by a concerned parent, one mother commented her daughter had been approached by a white van outside her Aberfeldie school – and the van had since been witnessed at other schools in the area.
The Brimbank City Council letter said they encouraged all sporting clubs to “actively keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour and report it to the police as soon as possible”.
“Council also encourages all clubs to develop an emergency plan that incorporates the ‘Stranger Danger’ program as run in all schools as a way of proactively identifying suspicious behaviour by unknown individuals,” the letter said.
For more information, contact the council on 9249 4000.
