Child Kidnap Reports Exaggerated

Sydney parents have this week been terrified by a slew of supposed abduction attempts reported around the city.

But they can rest somewhat easier – a top criminologist says that the reports are mostly the result of “community panic supported by cautious police and a blinkered media.”

“It’s an unfortunate collusion between the police who want to warn early and secondly the media who have a very narrow view about what the danger is,” Professor Mark Findlay, from Sydney University’s Institute of Criminology, said. “[That collusion] ends up perpetuating a stereotype which creates fear.”

Despite 15 media alerts covering more than 20 reported abduction or abuse attempts, only one person has been charged with stalking and at least two of the reports have been shown to be false.

Figures from the Australian Institute of Criminology reveal that of the 117 juveniles killed in the 12 months to June 2006, 74 per cent were murdered by friends or family. Yet parents still fear the stereotype of the stranger in a white van. Police inadvertently fuel the media storm, Professor Findlay said.

“Police are in a bit of a double bind: on one hand they are anxious to warn communities and they often create these warnings on pretty poor evidence.”

[Source]