IN the statement from Kinda municipality alerted to two men estimated to be in their 60s driving around in a white van. The men tried to bring the children with them by offering rides home.
“Two attempts have taken place in Rimforsa and today there has been another attempt in Kisa. We urge all guardians to talk to your children about absolutely not accompanying a stranger in case they are stopped or asked about a ride,” writes the municipality’s safety and security department.
Motala also issued a warning as the car is said to have been seen in Fornåsa in the municipality.
– No one has been injured or threatened, but the police would like to understand why the men are trying to get in touch with the children, said police spokesperson Elin Andersson.
Police and prosecutors have investigated the cases in Linköping but decided to close the preliminary investigation into seven cases of suspected attempted kidnapping of children. This is after initial investigation measures into the events which show that it does not constitute a crime.
However, the prosecutor continues to investigate a case of suspected attempted kidnapping of children in Linköping. But there is no information about a white van being involved.
Chief of Intelligence: Is always a white car
Earlier this year, the police in Luleå went out and warned about a white van. A teenage girl raised the alarm that she had been chased and the police received more calls about children encountering two men who sought contact with them. Last spring, a principal in Västerås raised the alarm that a man in a white van tried to lure children to a school.
The alarms about a white van looking for children have been recurring and according to Mats Karlsson, head of intelligence in the police region south, one should ask an extra time what has actually happened when it comes to a white van.
– It is striking that it is always a white car and it has returned with frequency for quite a few years, says Mats Karlsson and adds:
– It is an urban saga that has taken hold and returns at regular intervals.
At the same time, he points out that there may be crime linked to white vans, but that more control questions should be asked.
– The classic thing is to ask some counter-questions, then you can often say that this doesn’t seem entirely likely, says Mats Karlsson.
Spread over many years
For several years, the alarms about white vans have come from different parts of the country. Mats Karlsson believes that people have become aware of it, while the introduction of social media may have built on the spread of rumours.
– Many people in different areas form a group so that they can pay attention. Then it can spread, it is enough for one person to write that: “Here was something strange”. Then it becomes a truth, the next person thinks it’s confirmed and then you pass it on, says Mats Karlsson and adds:
– Unfortunately, the priority of the police authority has sometimes also carried it forward without questioning and checking where the information comes from.
Can cause unnecessary anxiety
All alarms do not have to be false, but Mats Karlsson believes that the alarms can create unnecessary anxiety in the communities where warnings are spread about men in white vans.
– What I am really angry about in this is that we are creating an insecurity that does not necessarily exist, that there would be people with evil intentions out there trying to kidnap children, says Mats Karlsson.