Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Neighbourhood watch update

Recently, a suspicious male driving a small black 4-door sedan approached a teenage female walking in the Qualicum neighbourhood (near the Queensway Carlton Hospital). The male is described as non-white, late twenties, 6 feet tall with a small ‘scruff’ of facial hair, wearing all black clothing.

The male exited the car (left the car running) and approached the female teen to inquire if she needed a ride anywhere. When she declined, the male continued to approach and asked, “Well, can you at least stop and stay and talk to me for a few minutes?”  Seeing a man walking his dog ahead, the girl caught up to the dog walker, and began to walk with him. At that point, the suspicious male returned to his car and drove away.

When this incident was reported to police, they indicated that encounters of this type have been on the rise in the west end of Ottawa recently. Police recommend that all teens program the direct line to Ottawa Police dispatch –  (613) 230-6211 – into their cell phones.  If an incident does occur, teens should call the police right away while they are walking away. In addition to walking/running away quickly, police suggest that individuals also make a loud and big scene to garner attention and scare off the individual.