Children risk lives on tracks

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DANGEROUS: Children have been playing on the train tracks near the Rakaia dog park.
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Concerns about three children playing on train tracks at Rakaia are being dealt with by police.

A person saying they were a train driver posted in Rakaia Community Noticeboard over the weekend about the children playing ‘‘chicken’’ with the train, at a train pedestrian crossing near the town’s dog park. The post included a photo from the front driver compartment, looking out on to train tracks.

It followed a post from a woman in the group earlier in the month, concerned about the same issue.

Rakaia police officer, Senior Constable Trevor Gurney, said noone had reported the behaviour to him.

However, he had become aware of three children playing on the tracks through other sources.

‘‘I have found out who it is, and I’m dealing with it,’’ Gurney said.

He said he was talking to the parents, to ensure it did not happen again.

He advised anyone witnessing dangerous behaviour such as this to report it to police in the first instance, rather than post about it on social media.

‘‘We just want kids to be safe at the end of the day,’’ he said.

The train driver said on the post they would see the children after coming around a bend, travelling south after exiting the Rakaia bridge. They were concerned about running the children over.

‘‘If you know who these kids are that play around there please, give them a what’s up from me, because all it will take is for one of them to get their shoe stuck in the track at the crossing to ruin a family’s and my life,’’ they said.

‘‘All I can do is hang off the horn to make them get off the track.’’