Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Police have asked the public not to take the law into their own hands over reports of an attempted kidnapping in Porirua.
Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Middlemiss said police were continuing their enquiries after it was reported a man attempted to get a woman into a black van earlier this week.
But he said social media posts encouraging vigilante behaviour were "incredibly concerning".
"We know reports like this can cause great alarm in the community, however police have received a call from an innocent person who was accosted by a member of the public, wrongly accusing him of being involved.
Anyone attempting to take the law into their own hands could face charges, Middlemiss said.
Despite extensive enquiries police had not been able to fully establish what occurred with the black van, he said.
"We urge the community to bear in mind that not everything you read online is what it seems."
