Child safety

Shemy: I am looking for some advice about my two-year-old daughter. She is a very bright wee girl (I know I'm biased, but she is very good at talking!), and has always been sociable. She says 'Hello' to everyone she sees, and it's lovely because people on the street always smile when she says hello, I guess it must be nice to see a wee cutie smiling at you and being friendly.

Yesterday, she was on the back steps and I was in the kitchen. I heard her saying 'What's your name?' and then she came in and said 'I was talking to Jim'. I looked out and there was a man from the council in next-door's garden, doing some repairs. I asked him if she had been talking to him, and he said she had asked his name and he'd told her it was Jim.

This was fine, as I was within earshot, but here's my concern: How do I explain without frightening her that she shouldn't talk to strangers. I have told her not to, because some people might not want to be friends, but I don't want to fill her young head with worry. She won't be out of my sight for a long time yet, so do you think it's best to leave it for now?

Inspector Tim Bonnett: It is difficult with a child so young to get her to understand. It sounds like you have got a bright open child. Use that to talk to her regularly about her activity as you did here. If you get a sense that she has felt uncomfortable in a situation then discuss that with her.

Normally bright outgoing children gain social awareness quickly and realise that there are people who don't want to talk or who make them feel uneasy. If you help your daughter to learn by talking to her, she will quickly learn from your experience.

Tara: Do you think the world has become a more dangerous place? Are the streets less safe than say, 20 years ago, when I was a child? I grew up in London and both at school and at home we were told to never go home with strangers. But, safety seems to be a much bigger issue and concern these days. Just wondered what your thoughts are.

Inspector Tim Bonnett: Sadly the world can be a less safe place than it was. The key is to look at your own local area and work out how safe it is. I am happy to let my children go to certain places and not others and that is no different from when I grew up. You need to carefully help your children to understand that there are dangers, to recognise when they are unhappy with a situation and how they should react.

It is not often realised that there were as many child murders in 1965 as in 1995. This type of crime is extremely rare. The world seems less safe because we all hear about dreadful things that happen. With proper care for personal safety, it can be as safe as ever.