Preschoolers left in locked vehicle
Police are still considering whether to prosecute a Hamilton grandfather who left two preschoolers in a locked car in the midday heat.
The 59-year-old man is being investigated ‘‘with the view of possible prosecution’’, Waikato police Senior Sergeant Simon Cherry said on Monday.
The grandfather parked at a shopping centre to buy takeaways at a food court on Sunday.
He left the two boys, aged 2 and 4, in the locked car for an estimated 20 minutes with the windows partially down.
The grandfather also left two 11-year-olds and a 10-year-old unsupervised at a local pool complex an estimated 10-minute drive from the shopping centre.
Passers-by spotted the preschoolers in the car alone about 1pm and became concerned.
Metservice reported the temperature in Hamilton at 1pm on Sunday was 29 degrees Celsius.
Both children appeared to be ‘‘hot and sweating’’, Waikato police Senior Sergeant Charles Burgess said on Sunday.
‘‘He left a couple of windows down and members of the public managed to get into the car and open the door.’’ The children were OK but distressed, Burgess said.
About that time, the grandfather returned.
‘‘He wasn’t very happy the public had intervened.’’
The bystanders cooled the children down with wet towels and ice before ambulance staff arrived and found no further medical attention was required.
Burgess urged people to be vigilant as the country experiences record breaking temperatures.
‘‘Please be mindful in the heat when it comes to children, animals and the elderly. Vehicles can get horrendously hot.’’
Plunket national adviser for child safety Sue Campbell said there was no minimum amount of time that is safe to leave a child of any age in a car.
Research showed that small children heated up three to five times faster than adults, she said.
‘‘A small child will get hotter a lot faster than an adult, and get more dehydrated, which can lead to heat stroke when in a hot vehicle.
‘‘Even in winter, the inside of a vehicle will still heat up.’’
Anyone who saw a child alone in a vehicle should alert authorities, she said.