Yesterday, police said they had now identified a person of interest and were interviewing him.
However, people took to social media over the weekend to complain about how long it was taking police to apprehend the culprit and some were threatening to take the law into their own hands.
A parent warned other Mosgiel parents on social media about the man acting suspiciously at Memorial Park, in Hartstonge Ave.
She said her 12-year-old daughter and a friend were at the park in mid-April and saw the man "being a sleaze" and "following kids around, videoing them".
She also claimed the man "attempted to get one of the Syrian kids to get in his car" and when her daughter and her friend intervened to stop him, he allegedly flashed a gun at them.
The incident was reported to police on April 14, but several other people on the social media website said they also witnessed the incident and believed it was not a one-off.
They shared concerns the man was still visiting the park, filming children, and police appeared to be doing nothing about it.
"I’m going to the Mosgiel park today. Hopefully, I come across him," one person said.
Another said, "Maybe time for us to organise community gatherings at the park then," while others said, "I’ll go sort him out", and "Tackle practise".
One person said they hoped police would do something "before the public do".
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said he understood reports of this nature could cause concern and he urged the community to be alert, but not alarmed.
"The complaint that we’ve got from April 14 is that he lifted up his T-shirt and it looked like he had a firearm in his waistband, but we can’t confirm that.
"Looking at the file, there’s no complaint of trying to get a kid in a car and no complaint about a man photographing kids."
He said witnesses who had come forward had not been able to provide a registration number for the car involved, so it had been difficult to track the man.
However, police had now identified a person of interest.
He urged the public to let the police do their job.
"At least it gives us an opportunity to speak to the people and understand what’s happened, rather than people taking matters into their own hands.
"They don’t have all the facts.
"There may be some underlying factors there, like mental health.
"Like with any crime, you should report it to police rather than commenting on social media.
"It will help us form a picture about what’s happened and assist our investigation."
