This news report comes as no sur­prise.

While in the past, adults would have helped chil­dren in dis­tress or rebuked those mis­be­hav­ing, there was now “a feel­ing that it is best not to become involved”, it said.

Report author Prof Frank Furedi, of Kent Uni­ver­sity, said: “From Girl Guiders to foot­ball coaches, from Christmas-time San­tas to par­ents help­ing out in schools, vol­un­teers — once regarded as pil­lars of the com­mu­nity — have been trans­formed in the reg­u­la­tory and pub­lic imag­i­na­tion into poten­tial child abusers, barred from any con­tact with chil­dren until the data­base gives them the green light.”

This is the con­se­quence of fear-mongering at its finest col­lid­ing with years of poor news report­ing. Give the pub­lic some­thing to worry about, and they will — tak­ing it out of all pro­por­tions in the process.

Instead of rely­ing on Crim­i­nal Records Bureau (CRB) checks, adults should be allowed to use their “dis­cre­tion and pro­fes­sional judg­ment” to decide who should work with children.

Bravo.