No charges in ‘suspicious circumstances’ case at Bedford playground: Halifax police

Halifax Regional Police say they have identified the man involved in a “suspicious circumstances” investigation, where someone was reportedly photographing children at a Bedford-area playground.

On Wednesday, police updated the file to say the investigation “has been concluded with no charges.”

“We thank the public and the media for their concern and assistance,” a news release added.

Two days earlier, police said officers received a report of suspicious circumstances at a playground in the 300-block of Gary Martin Drive on Aug. 27.

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“At approximately 3:55 p.m., a woman observed a man not known to her taking photos of her children,” the release said. “The woman approached the man and told him to stop. The man walked to a nearby car and drove away.”

In an interview, HRP spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said someone taking pictures at a playground is “on its own, possibly not criminal in nature, but anytime someone is acting suspiciously around children, we want to make sure that we look into it and determine what happened.

“When the individual was approached by the parents, they fled,” said MacLeod, which is why the incident is considered suspicious.

“It may be nothing, it may be someone (or) just a photographer taking pictures, but obviously any time it comes to children we want to make sure we do our due diligence and look into it.”