North Vancouver RCMP are warning parents to take extra precautions with their children after a man allegedly exposed himself to a young girl last week.
They’re adding the incident may also be similar to other reports from the past year.
Police say the suspect approached a 13-year-old girl while driving a silver SUV in the 200 block of 27 Avenue West on May 15 around 3:40 p.m.
After calling the girl over while asking for directions, the man allegedly made a lewd comment and exposed his genitals.
The teen ran away and was not physically harmed.
Police have issued a composite sketch of the suspect based on the girl’s description.
The man is described as a 40-to-50-year-old Caucasian male with a slight accent of unknown origin. He’s balding with brown hair on the sides, has a double chin, and was wearing black sunglasses and a blue and white zippered sweater at the time of the incident.
While the report “bears a resemblance” to other incidents reported on the North Shore recently, police say they’re treating this incident as separate while they investigate any links.
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“We want parents and children to take extra precautions until we can track this man down,” RCMP Sgt. Peter DeVries said in a statement.
“It’s a reminder for parents to talk with their kids about how to increase their safety in public.”
Police have released several tips to parents and children on how to protect themselves.
Those include staying in small groups or pairs when playing and walking, avoiding long conversations or interactions with strangers, and taking notes of vehicle and suspect descriptions.
Parents are also told to teach their children how to call 911 when appropriate, and to ensure those children have a cell phone when away from home if possible.
In June 2018, North Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver police released another sketch of a suspect who had allegedly exposed himself to children aged 10 to 16 in a series of incidents that dated back to a month before.