Does not mean it cannot happen in FH or surrounding areas

http://www.balhamforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?3,45

Thank you for bringing in to our attention, I will be sure to spread the word.
Simply awful..

I agree. We should all panic.

Alternatively, we could look into it a little deeper, such as wondering why it hasn't been picked up by any news source. And discover something like this.

http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=4274

Somebody pick me up from under this feather.

If this is indeed a hoax, then it is very sick

Apologies to all for alarming you with maybe any need to

Think I will take a leaf out of Baboonery,s book, and check it out before I post anymore

I have a professional link to childcare services in that locality and the information issued by the police is that it isn't true; there was an alleged incident about a young girl being approached whilst sitting in her parents car but not what was described here and in many other south London community and baby websites. Clapham Common was not in fact flooded by police in respect of such an issue last week. If they attended it may have been for some of the other notorious things that the Common is famous for!

There is a lot of stuff written about Clapham Common and I believe lots of 'abducted by aliens' stories and even websites for people who go there hoping to abducted by extra terrestrials so I would take things about this area with a pinch of salt. However its always very wise to be careful with one's children as bad things do and can happen hence vigilence is always a good idea.

And a pair of toddler reins.

This was recently reported on 9 June in one of Croydon's local newspapers

Report

This is an extract from the report:

Tonight's development comes just two weeks after police admitted they feared a paedophile gang could be operating in Croydon trying to snatch young girls, following two attempted abductions in 11 days.

In Woodside Green, Woodside, a young girl was followed by two men in a white car on May 21 at 8am.

The 14-year-old had originally been asked for directions by the same men less than 24 hours before but she was approached for directions again.

And, as she tried to help them, the passenger reached out from his window and grabbed her arm in an attempt to drag her inside the vehicle, but she was able to escape.

On May 10 a man tried to snatch a schoolgirl, 11, in Kenley and then chased her on foot for almost a mile.

She escaped after hiding behind a tree in Cedar Walk.

DCI Pete Thomas, who is investigating the Woodside and Kenley abduction attempts, previously admitted: "What is concerning is there has been a spike in the numbers of young girls being approached by strangers.

"Worst case scenario you cannot rule out there are a team of paedophiles working in the area."

Oh look.

I was the manager of a hostel for homeless families some years ago when the young son of one of the residents went missing in a park. The child had in fact been kidnapped from a local park by a paedophile gang and was found dead a short while later in some woods in Essex. It attracted nationwide media coverage and lots of debates about our 'sick society'.

Its a sad fact but these things do happen so I would not be so dismissive.

They do happen, yes. When they happen, we tend to hear about them sooner than a month later on an internet forum. Precisely as you say. Nationwide media coverage.

I'm not dismissive of the incident you describe, Roz. Because it happened. I'm dismissive of the seeming obsession with posting these things that didn't happen. Please don't accuse me of being dismissive of things that have actually happened just because I've discovered that two things didn't.

There's enough in the world to be scared of without carelessly, some would say recklessly, passing on inaccurate rumours about stuff that hasn't happened.

Oh dear Baboonery - I am unsure as to how you have arrived at the view that there is an obsession with posting things that didn't happen. I didn't say it happened -It was an example. The point I was making with my post was the statement made by the police:

"DCI Pete Thomas, who is investigating the Woodside and Kenley abduction attempts, previously admitted: "What is concerning is there has been a spike in the numbers of young girls being approached by strangers.

"Worst case scenario you cannot rule out there are a team of paedophiles working in the area."

This hasn't been denied.

Meaning it is always best to be vigilant.

i remember hearing of a woman getting bundled into the back of a van in the malham road industrial estate area, cant remember when now, in the last 10 years for sure. hopefully everything was okay, but that was the only news report i heard...

bad things happen everywhere - not just in cities...

Possible that Baboonery was having a pop at me for posting this this in the first place, thats fine, yet what does he want us to do when you read something like this, do a full investigation ??

I wont bother in future

What do I want you to do? Well, if you can make the effort to post it on here, I don't think it's too much to ask to make some effort to find out whether it's any more than a grubby, scurrilous internet rumour, possibly with racist intent from whoever made it up in the first place (not you), before further propagating the scaremongering. Maybe this makes me odd.

I don't think it adds anything to se23.com to have obviously fishy rumours all over it, and I don't imagine it helps parents stay informed and make appropriate decisions.

Not a problem, yet when you read something like that from a mother on a forum, you do intend to believe that it is true without investigating it yourself, suppose the person who started it was not even a mother at all, very sick whomever did start it

Point taken but this is just one thread on a very large forum Baboonery - hardly fish rumours all over it. I think you are overreacting and Forest Hillier did apologise earlier. Perhaps it is a good thing that these incidents or non incidents have been brought to a wider audience only if it makes people stop and think for a minute especially those with children.

Thank you CPP

CPP
I don't see how anyone benefits from reading made-up nonsense, apart from someone who wants us all to live in a climate of fear. False rumours should be countered, because one is the thin end of a very unpleasant wedge.

And if anyone needed that to remind them to look after their kids then I'd worry about them. We know bad things happen. Scaremongering about stuff that isn't actually true will only add to the stress burden on parents and does not help anyone.

Very good points Baboonery

I shoudl take the the full blame for this as it was me who posted the article without checking it out, yet you can see how things just grow & grow as I could have added a few more things and so on, hope no harm was done and I hope that all parents/guardians do take good care