Is It No Longer Safe For Our Children To Walk The Streets Alone?

[anotheoldgit]

In the first case the two men are described as 'white' and in the second case the five men are described as being 'non-English'

Before anyone jumps in with "it matters not what nationality these men are", I agree, but I just added that because in recent such cases the police have been reluctant to issue such valuable information, when asking the public for their help.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3813190/Teenage-girl-snatched-street-walked-school-two-men-silver-car-seriously-sexually-assaulted-four-hours.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3811942/Police-hunt-five-men-ski-masks-tried-bundle-11-year-old-boy-Transit-van.html

[hc4361]

In the 1970s I was aware of one girl of 14 that was charged with soliciting. Can you imagine that happening today? Society has changed for the better in many respects.

[hc4361]

Why are you so insistent that we have, AoG, when many of the facts prove otherwise?

[Mamyalynne]

Allowing our children to walk alone at any age has always been an issue - even as a child I recall Mothers trailing yards behind their children until they were in sight of the school gates.

I hope these cases lead to those alleged to have abducted youngsters being caught very quickly, thank goodness there is less fear to report now.

[fiction-factory]

We agree there is a problem, AOG- we are just not sure it is a growing problem

[Answerprancer]

I actually think it's safer these days, mainly because all of our towns and recreation spaces are bristling with CCTV cameras. Also public attitude in favour of child safety and awareness is more intense than it used to be.

[andy-hughes]

AOG - //Why are some reluctant to admit that we have a growing problem? //

Because statistics indicate that it is a shrinking, rather than a growing problem.

[Answerprancer]

"Why are some reluctant to admit that we have a growing problem?"
Probably because "some" don't read/worship the Daily Mail.

[RandyMarsh]

It is the fact that you always imply that these are modern problems AOG.

[Gromit]

From 45 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfnznXW7Azg

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

A 45 years old child instructional video doesn't prove that there were less child abduction cases years ago.

For years, children have been told not to accept sweets from strangers, the problem with today, is that there are more strangers.

[anotheoldgit]

"That there were just as many"

[Gromit]

One survey records a 47% increase year on year, of non-parental abductions.
However, that seems to be due to a change in recording crime rather than the crime increasing. Of the Police forces asked to account for the rise, non indicated the crime itself had risen significantly. The police responses were:

// Why has non‐parental child abduction increased?
15 police forces were asked to provide further information about why non‐parental child abductions had increased in their area. Responses were received from 13 (many offering more than one reason).

● 11 indicated that improvements in the response to Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) had contributed to the increase. Greater awareness and training was reported to have led to more offences been reported and to police being more likely to record an offence. Some police forces suggested that a greater use of Child Abduction Warning Notices may have led to an increase in offences recorded.

● Five police forces provided data on the proportion of non‐parental child abductions which involved CSE in 2014/15: four ranged from 65 to 78 per cent; one was 42 per cent. Two police forces provided comparable data for the previous year. One police force reported that the proportion of CSE cases had increased from 37 per cent in 2013/14 to 67 per cent in 2014/15 (albeit with relatively low numbers). The other police force reported an increase from 54 per cent in 2013/14 to 65 per cent in 2014/15 (with much larger numbers).

● Eight police forces suggested improvements in crime recording and greater adherence to the National Crime Recording Standard guidelines had impacted on the number of offences recorded. Many police forces stressed that, as a result, the number of offences better reflects the true scale of the problem. Two police forces suggested that stricter crime recording processes may have ensured that incidents which would previously have not met an ‘evidential’ threshold to be recorded were now been recorded as a crime.

● Two police forces indicated that a recent focus on intervening in cases of forced marriage may have increased the number of non‐parental child abductions recorded, although neither offered any quantitative analysis. //

http://www.childabduction.org.uk/images/Police_Report_2016.pdf

[jackthehat]

I see a common link.......... men!

Perhaps men, of every hue and nationality, ought to be banned from our streets?

I imagine the statistics will then become vanishingly small.

(Cue apoplexy.......)

[anotheoldgit]

Answerprancer

/// Probably because "some" don't read/worship the Daily Mail. ///

For those that read and worship other publications.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/09/reported-child-sexual-abuse-has-risen-60-in-last-four-years-figures-show

[andy-hughes]

jack - //I see a common link.......... men!

Perhaps men, of every hue and nationality, ought to be banned from our streets?

I imagine the statistics will then become vanishingly small. //

Yes, but if you did that, there wouldn't be any men for you to ....

I haven't thought this through have I ??????

[anotheoldgit]

jackthehat

/// Perhaps men, of every hue and nationality, ought to be banned from our streets? ///

You failed to mention sexuality.

Perhaps men, of every hue, nationality, and sexuality, ought to be banned from our streets?

[Gromit]

AOG,
As has already been pointed out to you, child abuse and non-parental abductions (which your OP links are about), are different things. Your links about child abuse are meaningless in this context. Child abuse mainly takes place in the home or by people known to the child. That has no relevence on the child being able to walk the streets safely.

[jno]

Victorian London was perfectly safe apart from garroting gangs and suchlike

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/06/garrotting-panic-1850-insane-ways-public-reacted/

[jackthehat]

I think 'hue and nationality' pretty much covers ALL men, don't you?

[Islay]

Its not a growing problem because it was always there - however it is not such a taboo subject as it once was!

My mother told be that her friend was being abused by a lechy uncle - parents knew but dismissed it as 'she was too over familiar' it was her fault as everyone knew to stay away from this uncle.

My grandmother was a Police Matron in a large city - she would tell stories of girls being swayed into no reporting incicidents and instead accepting it was their fault, or being taken away from the family for be a 'badun'