PARENTS are being urged to be vigilant in the wake of a frightening spate of children being approached by strangers.
In the past month, police have issued 19 warnings and appealed for witnesses to incidents where children have been followed, lured into vehicles, or in one alarming case, inappropriately touched by a stranger.
Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec said there had been a spate of incidents and this often coincided with the start of the school year.
"You can never be too careful with children. We encourage people to discuss the Safe People, Safe Places message with their children, and teach them that as soon as they feel unsafe, they must tell an adult," Supt Kerlatec said.
On Wednesday night, an 11-year-old girl was jogging around an oval at Campbelltown when she was approached by a man who called out to her to get in his car.
Police said the girl ran back to her mother and the van drove away. She was not injured during the incident.
Last week in Port Macquarie, on the mid-north coast, two girls aged 11 and 12 were approached by two men in a black Jeep, who urged them to get in. Supt Kerlatec said there was no typical sexual predator, and he was not necessarily the "creepy man" who lurked around primary schools.
"We'd probably say male, aged upwards from his mid-20s but there is no particular style of person, well-dressed or unkempt," he said.
He also urged the public to be aware when children were around, and to intervene if they saw a suspicious person approach a child.
Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations spokeswoman Rachael Sowden said it was important to make children aware of "stranger danger", but there was a risk of making them unnecessarily anxious.
Feb 13: Campbelltown
A man in a white van approached an 11-year-old girl at a park in Allman Street and called out to her to get into his van.
The girl ran back to her mother and the van drove away. She was not injured during the incident.
Feb 12: Islington
A nine-year-old girl was sitting on the front veranda of her home on Fleming Street in Islington near Newcastle when a car pulled-up.
The male driver remained in the car and asked the girl to get in. She refused and went inside the home to alert her father.
The male drove away.
Feb 11: Booragul near Lake Macquarie
A 10-year-old girl was walking west along Merriwa Street when a white Toyota ute stopped on the opposite side of the road.
Police have been told the driver called out to the girl and asked for help in finding his dog. The girl became suspicious and ran off while the man drove away and was last seen turning into Muswellbrook Crescent.
Feb 10: Bateau Bay
A seven-year-old girl was playing with friends on rocks on the beach, near the camping ground at Bateau Bay.
The child left her friends on the rocks at the southern point of the beach and walked towards the camping ground.
The girl has told police that as she walked past bush a naked man jumped out, whistled at her and beckoned her towards him. The child ran to her parents and informed them of what had happened and police were contacted.
Feb 7: Port Macquarie
Two girls aged 11 and 12 were walking home from school when at the intersection of Clifton Drive and Regatta Crescent a dark-coloured soft top Jeep stopped near them.
The male passenger spoke to the primary school students and tried to entice them into the four-wheel-drive.
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