The Garda has received five more reports of suspicious approaches to children in the past week, bringing the total since the beginning of October to more than 50. The latest reports were from Portlaoise, Kilcormack, Co Offaly, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Ballylinan, Co Kildare and Rathnew, Co Wicklow.
However, Insp Simon O'Connor of the Garda Press Office said yesterday no child had actually been abducted. He said the message from parents and teachers about not talking to strangers and not playing alone were "getting through and thankfully nothing has happened".
Some of the reports have been of a minor nature, such as a girl reporting that a motorist stopped at a traffic lights had stared at her. However, there has also been a report of a 10-year-old boy who escaped an attempt to force him into a car.
Before Christmas, the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, decided the problem was serious enough for all information about child abduction attempts to be co-ordinated by the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit in Harcourt Square Garda station, Dublin.
Parents have been warned always to know the whereabouts of their children; never to put children in a position where they have to wait alone outside a school or other public place for collection; to encourage children to play in groups; to warn them never to take lifts from or approach strangers; and to teach them to use the 999 emergency phone number.