At approximately 6pm, a man driving a work van approached a 12-year-old girl in the Hawkesley Drive area [map]. The girl immediately returned home and informed her family who reported it to the police.
The man was said to be white, with short dark hair and wearing a blue polo shirt with a white stripe on the collar.
The van was described as dark grey in colour, with slightly tinted windows and black seats. The inside cover of the driver’s door was also missing. The van is believed to have been driven in direction of Little Stoke Lane after the incident.
CCTV and house-to-house enquiries are ongoing as officers try to establish what happened and who the man is.
Neighbourhood inspector Clive Summerill said:
“This is a particularly concerning incident and one that is being investigated thoroughly.”
“The victim did absolutely the right thing by not going with the unknown male, finding a safe space and telling an appropriate adult so it could be reported to us.”
“We would like to reassure the public we are not currently aware of any having any other similar incidents reported to us, but would urge anyone who has witnessed something like this to contact us.”
“Regardless, we appreciate there is likely to be some concern within the local community and we will be conducting additional high-visibility patrols in the area as a result.”
“Anyone who saw what happened, or may have CCTV or dashcam footage from the area, is asked to contact us online or on 101 quoting reference number 5221134772.”
Related link: Police in Stoke Gifford (The Journal)
Incident now deemed “not suspicious”
UPDATE added 19th June 2021.
Police officers say they are now satisfied that the reported incident is “not suspicious”.
A police spokesperson said:
“We’ve now identified and spoken to the van driver who talked to a 12-year-old girl in Little Stoke on Wednesday and are satisfied no offences have occurred.”
“The girl’s mother has been updated.”
“We took the report seriously and are grateful for the public’s support in sharing and responding to our appeal.”
“Neighbourhood officers continue to carry out reassurance patrols in the area.”
Police officers say they are now satisfied that the reported incident is “not suspicious”. See update statement appended to the article.