Police conclude young girl must be safe after searches following report she was wandering Northampton streets alone

Police have concluded a young girl who appeared to be wandering Northampton streets alone, must be safe following “extensive” searches.

Northamptonshire Police put out an urgent social media appeal just after 7pm on Monday (November 6), after officers received a report of a “young girl aged between five and seven years old wandering the streets alone” around Junction Road and Moore Street. She was first spotted around 6.10pm.

The appeal was accompanied by a picture from a Ring doorbell and members of the public were urged to call 999 immediately, if they saw they girl.

A while later, the police force released an update to say they had completed an “extensive” search and concluded that the girl must have been out with her parents’ permission, or some distance away from the adult she was with.

The update, which was posted on Facebook but has now been deleted, said: “An extensive search of the area involving police officers and colleagues from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service immediately began and has continued throughout the evening. This search has included trawling through local CCTV and doorbell footage as well as using a drone.

“No child matching the description of the one reported as being on their own has been located and no child has been reported as missing, as such the search has now concluded.”

A police spokeswoman added: “A member of the public alerted us about concerns they had for a child who was believed to be walking on their own along Moore Street.

“Since then we have conducted extensive searches of Kingsley and the Racecourse and no child has been located. Importantly, no child has been reported as missing to us.

“As a result we believe the child was out with their parent or guardian’s consent, either on their own or some distance away from the adult they were with.

“We would like to thank the local community for their help and assistance this evening, we understand and appreciate their concern and desire to help. We are fortunate to have a local community who are so dedicated to looking after each other.

“We would also like to remind people to make sure their children are safe and are not allowed to go out on their own at a young age, particularly when it’s dark as people will be rightly concerned for their welfare.”