Police are hunting for a man who tried to coax a young girl into his car near a Moray primary school.
The incident happened near St Sylvester’s RC Primary School on Abbey Street, Elgin at about 8.55am on Thursday.
At the time, the area surrounding the school would have been busy with families taking their youngsters in for morning classes.
A stranger approached the girl and asked her if she wanted a lift.
The youngster declined the offer and the man drove off. It is believed to have travelled towards Glover Street and the High Street.
Although officers do not have a description of the man, the car is described as being small and black, with tinted windows.
Constable Brian Donaldson said: “At this time there is nothing to suggest that anything untoward has happened here, however, we would like to trace the man who was driving this car so we can rule that out.”
Last night, residents on the street said they were remaining vigilant in an increased effort to catch the man.
One parent, whose children attend St Sylvester’s said they would be contacting the school’s parent council to highlight the issue and attempt to safeguard other children from future approaches.
Elgin city north councillor Kirsty Reid said: “This highlights how we should be educating our children about stranger danger and making they know what to do if they are in situations like this.
“It is a good idea to contact the parent council and I will be taking it up at the parent councils I attend as well to make sure people and parents do remain vigilant.
“There is a fine line to walk between talking to children about making safe decisions and putting fear in them, so we have to tread carefully as parents. I have always gone for an open and honest approach, but that is a personal decision and, of course, everyone is different.”
Anyone with information, or who saw anything suspicious or unusual, should contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.