Police are urging parents and children to be extra vigilant as they search for a suspect who allegedly exposed himself to a 13-year-old girl in North Vancouver.
Authorities said the teenager was walking on 27th Street West near Chesterfield Avenue around 3:45 p.m. on May 15 when a man driving a silver SUV called her over to ask for directions.
When she approached, police say, the man exposed himself.
“She did the right thing,” said Sgt. Peter Devries with the North Vancouver RCMP. “[I’m] quite proud of her response to run away and go tell an adult.”
The girl was not physically hurt, but authorities worry the encounter, which they called “disturbing,” could be a sign of more predatory behaviour targeting children.
Police have released a composite sketch of the suspect, describing him as a white man, 40-50 years old, who has a double chin and is balding with brown hair on the sides of his head. At the time of the incident he was wearing black sunglasses and a blue and white zippered sweater.
Kevin Smith, the Principal of Holy Trinity School, which is located just a couple of blocks away from where the 13-year-old was approached, told CTV News the crime hits “very close to home.”
Smith says he sent a letter to all families Thursday morning and met with older students who were aware of what had happened and were asking questions.
North Vancouver School District also notified parents and encouraged parents to discuss safety with their children.
"We want parents and children to take extra precautions until we can track this man down," the RCMP’s DeVries said, offering a number of basic trips including:
• Teaching kids your home address and landline phone number
• Making sure children know how to contact you at work or on a cellphone
• Teaching them how and when to call 911
• Establishing a secret word for your family that can be used to identify a "safe person" other than a parent or caregiver
• Playing "what if" games with younger children to reinforce these messages
The RCMP also suggests families let children know it's OK to say "no" to adults they don’t know who ask for help or directions.
Clinical psychologist Joti Samra said the incident is also an opportunity for parents to discuss what can sometimes be a difficult, even “taboo” topic with their children.
“We want to tell kids that bad things do happen…but we want to balance that with making sure that we’re not creating fear,” Samra said.
Parents, Samra says, may feel an initial urge to shield children, but could inadvertently create an environment of fear or shame at home, which could shut down difficult conversations in the future.
She recommends parents reassure children that they’re safe and secure, listen carefully to a child’s concerns, and respond in “clear, crisp, age-appropriate ways,” which she says will depend on the individual child.
North Vancouver RCMP said the May 15 incident "bears a resemblance" to five others that were reported on the North Shore in May and June of 2018 in North Vancouver and West Vancouver.
In those cases, police say a man driving a grey Nissan SUV asked children between the ages of 10 and 16 for directions, then allegedly exposed himself.
“In all likelihood, somebody who’s doing this in North Vancouver is probably doing it elsewhere,” said the RCMP’s Devries.
While police are currently treating the latest incident as a separate case, they’re asking residents to remain vigilant, and not to hesitate to call if they see anything or anyone suspicious.
