I WELCOME the proposal to set up a “child watch” by the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (”Call to teach personal safety” - NST, Jan 21).

Indeed, a lot has been said and done about the safety of young children of late, and everybody is being brought in to help in the search for missing Sharlinie Mohd Nashar.

Despite the heightened awareness on child safety, I do wonder whether we can sustain this alertness for long.

Even today, when everybody is talking about the Sharlinie case, I still see a lot of young children being left unattended while playing at the playground or while their parents are doing their shopping,

Lee has also mentioned that “children should be taught safe and proper behaviour and how to deal with the many real dangers in the environment around them”.

That would be a good idea. But again, one is also tempted to ask how parents and other related agencies will be able to teach this to their children without making them over-suspicious of everyone.

Some children cry and get upset whenever somebody waves or makes funny faces at them, as people usually like to behave towards children.

NAZREEN, Mersing

Source: NST – January 24, 2008