Children need better protection in Guildford

9.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 27th Jun 2006

After the arrest of a man seen photographing children in a Guildford park Sue Doughty said "We need stronger protection for our children, but Megan's law is not the answer."

Children need to be able to play in safety

"Although Megan's law looks attractive and would allow the public to know the whereabouts of convicted offenders, in practice in the United States it has not reduced the incidents of assaults on children. I am concerned that fear of the local community will drive known offenders to another part of the country where they would be able to operate without supervision. We have also seen threats made against innocent people."

"It is important however that children are protected, and that the worst offenders spend longer in prison. A review of sentencing is badly needed if the public are to have confidence in the system."

Sue also believes that children need more education in personal relationships to be able to develop the confidence that they need to report offenders. She added "Sadly it is not just a case of stranger danger, many cases of abuse are carried out by someone known to the child who is in a position of trust. Children may be frightened to report these for fear of their own safety, and also because of possible effects on their families. They need sufficient information to deal with these situations."