“Is there a paedophile watching my child?”

'Parents need to ask themselves this question – and they need to be far more aware of who paedophiles are and how they operate' says serving police officer, Rebecca Andrews, author of Policing Innocence. 'For every stranger who snatches a child from the street, there will be far more paedophiles who have slowly and carefully built up a relationship of trust, from within a child's circle of family, friends, neighbours or associates, who have access on a regular basis to a child. My book goes inside the mind of a child abuser, and shows how they build up trust with both parents and children, until they are ready to strike.'

Rebecca Andrews has worked in child protection for many years, and is adamant that ignorance is the greatest danger for parents. 'We have got to get away from this image of the paedophile as the man in the park in the grubby coat. He may still be there but there are plenty of others in suits and ties, respectable, married members of the community. Parents, teachers and professional carers must be far more vigilant when considering who to allow to have 'trusted time' alone with children. They must be prepared to ask awkward questions – when a child goes on a school trip, or for a sleepover, or when someone comes to babysit. It won't make you popular but it may protect your child.'

Failures of the Criminal Justice System

Parents should not rely on the Criminal Justice system to keep their children safe, says Rebecca, and she slams the Sex Offender’s Register: 'Popping into the police station occasionally to update their particulars (of home address and any travel that takes them away for seven days or more) is not onerous for paedophiles and does not prevent child abuse. Great store is placed by the Sex Offenders Register as though once offenders are on it, none of us need worry – but in fact the staff who manage the Register are hopelessly outnumbered. Child protection doesn't protect, very often. It tends to see the offence coming, watch it happen and clear it up afterwards. The law doesn't allow for much else.'

'The Justice System is systematically failing because it puts other things ahead of protecting children, even though it says that this is paramount. That’s what it says – but it’s not what it does. Budgets and targets rule supreme – for the police, the CPS, the Probation Service, the prison service and the courts. The protection of children does not drive the Justice System, which worries far more about safeguarding offenders’ rights. The Human Rights Act affords extensive powers to offenders, but ignores the rights of child victims.'
'How is their right to safety enshrined through the early release of countless sex offenders into communities that do not know who they are and have scant official resources to monitor them? What is the Human Rights Act doing about those breaches of its code? Nothing. The Court system does not allow for the childish ways of children, and is governed by the legal profession for the legal profession – thus diluting its accountability, its integrity and its willingness to change. Ultimately, the Justice System in this country is far from a level playing field – and the children are at the bottom when they should be at the top.'

How paedophiles operate

Rebecca's expertise as a police woman in specialist units has given her rare insight into how paedophiles operate, often right under the nose of the adult with responsibility for their victims. She answers those critical "how" questions about paedophiles: how they groom their victims, how and why they target churches, how to improve child safety on the Internet, and the taboo of female abusers.
'With new cases of child abuse hitting the news almost every day, everyone who has responsibility for looking after children needs to know much more than they do about how to keep children safe. Paedophiles risk everything in abusing children – that is how devoted they are to abuse. We must have an even greater resolve and knowledge about how they operate and this book has been written as a suit of armour to keep you informed and one step ahead of the abusers.'

*Rebecca Andrews is a pseudonym, and she cannot be contacted directly. Rebecca Andrews has been a police officer for many years, serving in the inner-city, urban and rural areas, as well as in the Child Protection and Paedophile Units. Policing Innocence is her first book.

Note to editors: Please phone Ali Hull (Authentic media PR) on 07977670858 or 0117 901 8989 to contact Rebecca. She is available for interview by phone or email.

Policing Innocence is published by Authentic Media, price £7.99: ISBN 9781860246265

7th February 2008