The news that police in Bradford are keeping 100 dangerous paedophiles, rapists and killers under secret surveillance is bound to send a shudder of alarm through the district's parents - especially as these targets are said to be "just the tip of the iceberg".

However, there are several things which need to be borne in mind. First, this problem is not specific to Bradford, which is probably no better and no worse than most other places when it comes to children being at risk of sexual abuse. There are similar surveillance operations going on around the country.

Second, paedophilia is no new phenomenon. There have always been predatory men around waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of a child. Nowadays, though, society has become more aware of their activities and is realising, to the horror of many people, the scale of a menace which has always existed.

The news that the police know who many of these dangerous people are, and are determined to do all they can not to let them melt back into the community once they are released from prison, should be a source of reassurance to parents. They have a system in place designed to do all it can to keep them from re-offending.

Even so, the message from Mark Siddall of West Yorkshire Probation Service is one which every parents must heed. He advises them to be eternally vigilant and to check on anyone who takes an interest in their child. And that, unfortunately, means that parents must be initially suspicious not only of strangers, but also of relatives, friends and neighbours.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.