Are our children still safe?

REBECCA Sparrow is one worried mum.

Ever since a man tried to bundle her son, Josh, and nephew Luke Fletcher into the back of a van at the weekend, she has been reluctant to let Josh out to play.

It may be the half-term holiday, but Josh has been more or less confined to the family home in North Duffield.

"He's been in all the time," Rebecca says. "He went out yesterday: but that was with his cousin, who is 25, and who was like his chaperone."

Saturday's incident has left parents in the Dodsworth Avenue area of York deeply unsettled.

Josh and Luke had been playing at the local park and were walking down Fossway on their way to their auntie Sarah Fletcher's house in Pottery Lane when the incident happened.

A stranger tried to drag them into the back of his green Transit van with the help of three girls. A man has since been arrested and released on police bail. It is understood he may have mistakenly thought his daughter had been bitten by a dog belonging to the two boys.

Luckily, warehouse worker Kevin Baines and two of his daughters heard shouting and screaming and dashed out of their house to investigate. Mr Baines' eldest daughter, Nicola, confronted the man, while his younger daughter, Jade, got the two boys out of the back of the van.

The Baines family were "absolutely marvellous", but what they did was typical of the community spirit in the area where she grew up, Rebecca says.

As a child growing up in the Dodsworth Avenue area, she never thought twice about going out to play. "And the parents didn't worry like we do today," she said.

Following the storm of publicity surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal, and Saturday's attempted snatching of Josh and Luke, however, life is very different nowadays.

Sarah Fletcher, Rebecca's sister and auntie to Josh and Luke, says Pottery Lane is normally full of children playing, especially in the school holidays.

"But I've walked down today and there's not one child on the street," she said. "It's just so quiet. Parents are just keeping their children in. They feel the only thing they can do is let them play in their own back gardens. But we shouldn't have to keep children locked up like that!"

Both sisters agree something needs to be done to make the streets safer for children. But what?

In Bournemouth, a group of parents have set up a "parent watch" scheme to look out for their children (see panel) in the wake of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and following a local incident in Bournemouth involving a child.

Yellow signs have been put up declaring the area a "parentally aware neighbourhood". Parents dressed in distinctive yellow bibs will keep an eye on youngsters as they walk to school, and they regularly patrol parks.

Parents in York's Dodsworth Avenue area already keep an eye out for each other's children, Sarah Fletcher says.

"But we can't watch the whole street all the time." So something a bit more formal, like the scheme being tried out in Bournemouth, might be suitable. It might just be enough to deter anyone who posed a threat to children, and make them think twice before coming into the area, she said.

"I have spoken to four mums already who are my friends," she said. "They have said that whatever they can do, they will do."

Rebecca Sparrow agrees that a "parent watch" scheme might be a good idea.

"As a mother, every child belongs to you," she said. "If I saw a child in trouble I would not hesitate to go out. Our children are precious to us in this country, and for parents it is just so frightening at the moment. There are people out there."

Rebecca's husband, Anthony, said such a scheme would not be about launching witch-hunts against anybody who looked different or unfamiliar. It would simply be a question of parents looking out for each other's children.

"Nobody should touch your children," he said. "If you have a problem with a child, you call the police or you go and speak to the parents. You don't physically get hold of anybody's children."

Police, however, are in two minds about the idea of a "parent watch" scheme.

Sgt Mike Walker, of York police, who is responsible for the Heworth area, said incidents such as that at the weekend were extremely rare.

York is a very safe place to bring up children, he said. The last thing police wanted was to encourage a climate of fear.

His advice to parents, especially when school is out, is to make sure children know the rules.

"It is about educating your children on where they can play, who they can play with, and making sure they let their mum and dad know where they are going all the time," he said. "And if your children are not old enough to be on their own, make sure they are not left on their own."

North Yorkshire Police spokesman Tony Lidgate said that some kind of "parent watch" scheme "probably would not do any harm".

But he agreed with Sgt Walker that there was a risk of frightening people more than was necessary. The key thing, he said, was to ensure you always knew where your children were, and what they were doing.

Kevin Baines, who with his daughters Nicola and Jade sprang to the rescue of Josh and Luke, added that whether there was a formal scheme or not, it was important that all adults kept an eye out.

If you see anything suspicious, just take a look, and if necessary ask a question, he said. Don't turn a blind eye.

"The worst you're going to get is a mouthful of abuse and a warning to mind your own business. But you might just prevent something happening. So if in doubt, ask."

Looking out for the kids

ALL parents want to protect their children. In Bournemouth, a new group has formed to do just that.

Mum-of-three Heidi Romero, 37, is among about 30 parents who set up the Parentally Aware Neighbourhood scheme (PAN).

The idea is to make the bright yellow PAN sign so well known in the area that it will deter anyone who might pose a risk to children.

Adults dressed in distinctive yellow bibs will also keep an eye on youngsters as they walk to school, and they also regularly patrol parks.

The scheme was born shortly after the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal and a local incident involving a child.

"I think all parents at heart have that nagging concern when it comes to any danger to their children," said Heidi.

"We're concerned about potential offenders in our area, but you can't name these people and go marching down the streets with pitch forks and flaming torches.

"At the end of the day, they've got to live somewhere and we don't wish them any harm; you have to be sensible about the issue. We thought why can't we set up some kind of deterrent?"

The local police have been very supportive, she says, and there are plans for further discussions.

She is keen to point out the group does not want vigilante action, but wants this to be a positive scheme.

"We've turned negative thoughts of anger into a positive way of trying to protect our children," she said.

Is "parent watch" right for York?

HEWORTH councillor Paul Blanchard has pledged to look into the possibility of setting up a Bournemouth-style parent watch scheme in York following the apparent attempt to snatch Joshua Sparrow and Luke Fletcher at the weekend.

Coun Blanchard said his immediate reaction to the incident had been one of shock.

"It frightens me to death that this might have happened in York," he said. "It seems the kind of thing that happens elsewhere but not on your own doorstep."

Something had to be done to reassure parents that it was safe for their children to play outside, he said, and a Bournemouth-style "Parentally Aware Network" might be just the thing.

The Fossway, Pottery Lane and Dodsworth Avenue area was a tight-knit community of friendly, supportive people, he said. It might potentially be an excellent pilot area for such a scheme.

"I am going to look into this scheme and see if there is any support for moving it forward locally," he said.

Whether or not a formal scheme were set up, he added, it was important for parents to be on the alert for anyone suspicious who might pose a threat to children, and for them to report their suspicions to the police.

"We don't want to encourage vigilantism, but greater alertness on the part of communities generally could help make our streets safer for children to play in, just like the way they were in generations past," he said.

Other community leaders across York have also supported the idea of a "parent watch" scheme similar to that in Bournemouth.

"As a father of three myself, I do worry," said Tom Gibson, chairman of Tang Hall Residents' Association. "You don't want to stop children playing out but you do worry. Anything that brings the neighbourhood together and parents together to help keep an eye on them is a brilliant idea.

"It's getting back to the community spirit of helping each other and everybody being there for each other. The neighbourhood is the responsibility of the people who live in it."

Rosie Wall, chair of the Chapelfields Residents' Association, agreed.

"Getting parents to come together is a good thing. That's what's lacking in this country at the moment; people on the estates don't work together like they did years ago."

However, if it were done properly, parents involved should undergo police checks, she added.