Dunedin police officers on a routine patrol were surprised to find a 2-year-old boy wandering the streets of Halfway Bush in pyjamas early yesterday.
Senior Sergeant Brian Benn said the boy had been looking for his sister in another room in his Halfway Bush home and, when he could not find her, he ventured outside.
A police unit driving from Dunedin to Mosgiel via Three Mile Hill spotted the boy about 2.15am, in his pyjamas, dragging a light blanket behind him, in Taieri Rd, near Wakari Hospital.
Snr Sgt Benn believed the boy may have been heading towards his playcentre when he was spotted.
The boy was taken to the Dunedin Central Police Station, where he took up residence on the floor of the senior sergeant's office playing with toys.
"He was a bit scared for a start, but he was quite happy playing with the toys, and [relishing] all the attention he was getting from the female police officers."
The parents were horrified when they went to their son's room about 6.45am and he was not in his bed.
They called Dunedin police and were relieved to learn his whereabouts.
Snr Sgt Benn said it was a happy ending and the family was reunited soon after.
