to be slightly irritated by people posting unfounded rumours that just cause hysteria on their facebook ???

[Awassailinglookingforanswers]

Tuesday morning their was an "incident" at a county school invovling "suspicious" behaviour by a man/2 men and a 6yr old girl.

There have been rumours flying around that there have been more attempts elsewhere in the county and a facebook status update going around locally saying

"Please be aware when taking your kids to school there was an attempted abduction at the XXXXXXXX Juniors this morning and 2 further failed attempts in XXXXXXXXX yesterday, following the XXXXXXXXXXX attempt on Tuesday. Its 2 men saying they are school officials."

The ONLY one that happened (And it doesn't even say attempted abduction, or abut the 2 men saying they are school oifficals) was the initial one on the Tuesday. And indeed the latest update on the police website says

"We are aware that a number of unfounded rumours and descriptions have been circulating, these have not been issued by the police and would urge people to look at our website for an accurate report on the situation."

I posted to say as such on one friend's profile and am being shot down for it! I pointed out that of COURSE we want to keep our children safe, but circulating unfounded rumours and gossip only creates hysteria instead......

Face book is a whole new way to create and spread urban legends, and it is full of saddos who believe it

face book is shit
to take it seriously is an error

Sonnet - as soon as I saw my friend's "panic" status - I went straight to the police website and it was very obvious just from the 2 reports that were there at that time (today's hadn't been added) that it was nothing more than mass hysteria and scare mongering.

That facebook group is

I have just posted on it...........but think I'm going to leave the group now as some of the posts on it just make me want to cry (in desperation and frustration).

but Kimi - it's not just being spread by facebook.........it's being done by text as well (before the facebook group was set up the first texts went out I've discovered).

There used to be a 'story' when I was younger about a little boy going into a public toilet and his mum waiting for him outside. He was taking ages. She eventually got someone to go and look for him and a big black man had cut off his willy.

Nice to see racism has moved on a bit

I'm wondering how long before I get my first email about it..........as even before facebook existed these things would be distributed via email

I still fear the Chelsea smilers, and that remour went around when I was in primary school, 20-odd years ago!

remour? I mean rumour.

The what Chillo?

shoud be a law if anyone hangs around schools or attempts to encourage a child away ...they should be able to be arrested and their details listed, otherwise we have to wait for another Maddie/Sarah to happen.....PLEASE DONT LET ANOTHER FAMILY GO THROUGH THIS...parents unit and fight now.

lololol, yy arrest ANYONE seen loitering around a school asap

From what I remember of the rumour, the Chelsea smilers were a gang (from Chelsea, I guess!) who would slit each side of your mouth, them punch you in the stomach so you screamed, which would split the slits and you'd be left with a smile-shaped scar. As a 7 year old, that scared the shit out of me, I can tell you.

o/
/1
/ )

LOL Chillo

Another local (half a mile away) - its causing mass hysteria at our school gate which is such a shame for the kids whose freedom is now being curtailed.

All these groups are doing is promoting fear - so far today I've had 8 texts about 3 other "possible" attempts

I heard about the child having her hair cut off ( and dyed black) by 2 Asian women in the loo... this time they were in the Trafford Centre... get about don't they?

CHillo: I thought a Chelsea Smile was what you got when someone (a Chelsea supporter) smacked a pint glass into your face (Sorry folks).
I have had no text so far, whether this means that none of my friends are thick, or that I have finally got through to the slightly less smart ones with repeated yells of 'SNOPES you twat' remains to be seen.

I have no idea, SolidGold. That's just how I remember it.

I actually KNOW somebody in rl with a chealsea smile, I do I do I really do

He got it in prison

also apparently known as the Glasgow Grin hmm lovely

No, don't tell me that it's real. I've lived in fear for over 20 years.

that group is getting worse "apparently" another attempted on in another village this morning YAWN (nothing of course on the police website)

LOL Chillo.

It is real but not as far as I know in the context you heard it. One of the Krays used to use fairly regularly. Its got different names depending on what area wants to appear hard. I dont think it was ever used as a random thing on passers by. Its more of a gangland thing.

I have heard it called the Hoxton Smile (cos hoxton is well ard these days ).

Stop it. Now you have me looking it up and scaring myself

Yanbu. Also hate the urban myth chain e mails allegedly forwarded by a police force or official puporting things like a woman being assaulted/raped after being tricked out of her house by the sound of a baby crying etc etc

I work in the police and we often get calls about this type of hoax. Invariably they are false or just a complete bastardisation of a much lower level incident.

Don't even start me on the FB groups!

well I can't help but wonder if it was an attempted abduction at all........or something else (obviously unwanted)

as the police description is

"a person is believed to have been acting suspiciously towards a 10-year-old child."

that doesn't really have to be an attempted abduction does it??

Doubt it was anything like it. Suggest a child has told the school he/she was approached by an unknown adult. It may be as low level as the adult asking child the time of day.

Serious Inc hit the press.