This Is A ‘Parentally Aware Neighbourhood’ For Madeleine McCann
“PARENTS start paedophile patrols near schools and playgrounds.”
The parents in the “Parentally Aware Neighbourhood” in the Boscombe area of Bournemouth - a parish known locally as Bos Vegas on account of its sex shop and amusement arcade - are on to you.
As the Mail reports, 25 volunteers have signed up to patrol school routes and playgrounds on the look out for “potential offenders”.
Of course, that means everybody. We are all of us potential offenders. You can never be too careful. Peados are hard to spot. Sure, most have dirty overcoats, bags of sweets and cheeky smiles but many look just well, like everyone else. Some work in schools. Others are opportunistic criminals. Some even look like mum and dad.
Parentally Aware Neighbourhood
But while we wonder how long it will be before someone on a Parentally Aware Neighbourhood watch scheme turns out to be a paedophile staying one step ahead of the game, the locals are on the march, in bright yellow overalls. (So much for a yellow ribbon.)
Under the banner “paedophiles are not welcome” PAN founder Heidi Romero says: “The message to anyone interested in abusing children is: We’re here and we’re watching you - so stay away.”
Hurrah!
“With all the signs up, paedophiles are going to think twice about approaching the children in this area.”
For sure. Forget that hysteria over sex offenders on every street corner, the people of the PAN are taking direct action.
These children have no need to fear of sex attackers, monsters who will snatch them and subject them to abuse. The crime of paedophilia is hideous. But these children of PAN have no worries. These children know all about paedophiles and what they can do. Their parents know how to spot one.
Madeleine McCann
This is a breakthrough. And the police are rightly happy. “We are definitely backing the scheme. And think it is good idea,” says constable Peter Taylor, a beat officer in the PAN manor.
He goes on: “Heidi and other parents decided to set up the group in light of what happened to Madeleine McCann in Portugal.”
Hurrah!
So what did happen to Madeleine McCann in Portugal, PC Taylor? This is the officer’s big break. He’s cracked the case. And he did it while staying out in the UK. What’s his secret? Good old fashioned police sense, we’d wager. He can smell a wrong ‘un.
The Mail seems to support the move, too. As it says: “Mrs Romero’s efforts were also spurred by a report of an abduction attempt which turned out to be a false alarm.”
Did you get that? PAN was created in light of what might have happened to one child in Portugal and what didn’t happened to any child on Boscombe.
There Be Crocodiles
It brings to mind that old joke about the crocodile repellent kit for sale in Leicester. The man selling the concoction is approached by a shopper. “Does that stuff work?” he asks. “Yes,” says the seller. “Have you seen any crocodiles?”
The man thinks. And eyes the seller suspiciously…
May 30th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I’m not sure I understand the principle here. Children are statistically far more likely to be abused by a parent or guardian/ person with responsibility over them than they are by someone they don’t know.
This is not getting rid the most likely cause of abuse, but is ensuring that the focus is not looking where the danger really lies.
May 30th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
When will people finally realise that tho suspect? Do we still live in the 1940’s where family abuse is swept under the carpet. It really is about time we faced up to the real problem here !
May 30th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
The readers of the gutter press are not likely to notice until the papers stop the ‘paedo hysteria’ that has been sweeping the country.
May 30th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
This has always been the case - and the Police, as always, are more than happy to supply the indignant villagers with pitchforks and torches with which to go about their seasonal witchunting, happily egged-on by a ravenous media, slavering at the leash for a good paedo-lynching.
Ignorance is the problem here. ‘Stranger Danger’ is possibly one of the worst, most wilfully misleading ‘child safety’ campaigns ever concieved. Rather than filthy old men hanging about parks and school playgrounds, parents would be far better off checking up on those adults already known to their children as statistic after statistic confirms abused children almost always ‘know’ the adult involved and that adult is often known to the wider family or might, as is often the case, even be a part of it.
Still, the UK shows no signs whatsoever of losing it’s appetite for ’sticking it’ to the mysterious paedos - and there do, if rumours are to be believed, seem to be so very of them to go around). I am genuinely amazed we don’t yet have the reintroduction of public hangings, possibly even guillotines or perhaps a good flaying for this army of unholy daemons in our midst (and, god knows, according to the media and the police they are EVERYWHERE!).
…Meanwhile, back in the real world, mothers marching about in public with placards, shouting a bit, scaring small children, might make THEM feel a little safer, but while they’re so pre-occupied with imaginary dirty old men in raincoats loitering around schools and parks, I wonder if they actually have any idea what their little darlings get up to online, on their mobiles, on their web-cam enabled games consoles…?
May 30th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Oh, and by the way, just so nobody is under any illusions…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6703239.stm
May 30th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I read the article and then suddenly lost the will to type, after dipping six Hob Nobs and contemplating what I had just read up flashed the word:
MORONIC
I remember 91 fondly, us kids running through the woods looking for clues of Satans mates, so maybe, hopefully these kids wont be too damaged by another bout of sexually charged hysteria from adults/parents with far too much time on there hands.
May 30th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
You mean the police can be paedos too?! Best tell PAN. Before the lynch and abuse the wrong people…
May 30th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6703239.stm
Officers due in court over images
Two police officers are due to appear in court charged with possessing indecent images of children.
Met Police Det Con Graham Ferguson, 40, is charged on two counts, and Pc Gerard Collins, 26, from British Transport Police, is accused of three counts.
The charges follow a police investigation of alleged child pornography offences in January.
Both officers are due to appear before the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
May 30th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Heaven forbid!!! A paeodophile who is someone that is trusted!! I thought they were all dirty old men with tattoes on their knuckles, in dirty macs with pockets bulging with bags of sweets!!! This is shocking news!!
May 30th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
This scares me. I envision instances of mistaken identity ending in brutality.
Vigilante groups may be well-meaning but they often are like baying hounds once they’ve smelt their quarry. Unless they truly educate themselves regarding even the basics of the issue, at the very least there’ll be instances of paediatricians’ lives being made hell again. God knows what’ll happen to the naive senior neighbour who innocently says “Hello Dear” to a child in the park.
Modern day Salem witch hunts. Terrifying.
May 30th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Ben - I hear you…
May 30th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Right! I’m off to trade in my dirty mac for a yellow overall (don’t you just love the feel of Nylon…?)
..or better still; one of those itchy blue uniforms with the sexy pointy hat, and handcuffs!
May 30th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
As previous posts have said, abusers tend to be parents/guardians/
those who know the child, not complete strangers. Innocent people could be beaten up/murdered.
Why don’t the parents protect their kids on the quiet? Than put the fear of paedos into their hearts? This could cause nightmares/anxiety/psychological problems. Children should have the right to enjoy their childhood without being burdered by adult fear and insecurities.
I think the Madeline McCann case in the media has lead to a lot of children becoming fearful of being abducted, whereas the truth was Madeline was neglected by her parents.
So the yellow overalls will just add to the paedo hysteria..
May 31st, 2007 at 9:43 am
Hmmm, so the children in this neighbourhood will be for a long time, scared to leave the house / school unless a bunch of yellow-clad adults are always near-by thus instilling a total distrust of ANYBODY they don’t know.
As has been said, it only needs someone completely innocent to `give the children a funny look’ for a public abuse of that person to occur and of course when found completely and utterley inncocent of any such thoughts will they be ever clear of any suspicion? No. Of course they won’t, mud sticks!
June 1st, 2007 at 7:00 am
[...] Week’s PicturesAnorak - Parentally Aware Neighbourhood in the Boscombe area of Bournemouth - a parish known locally as Bos Vegas on account of Rather than filthy old men hanging about parks and school playgrounds, parents would be far better off checking up on those [...]
June 6th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Many reports on the childrens society paper that backs up this story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6722225.stm