MAGGIE OLIVER

I REMEMBER the first time I saw a Child Abduction Warning Notice used in place of real action.

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It was in 2005. On paper, a CAWN sounds decisive - a formal warning issued to an adult who is associating with a child when there are safeguarding concerns.

In reality, I saw them deployed as a bureaucratic shield. A piece of paper instead of a prosecution. A warning instead of an arrest.

A CAWN is not a criminal charge.

It carries no immediate legal consequence. It is meant to disrupt risk. But in effect, it becomes the end of the story rather than the beginning of an investigation.

Files are marked as "action taken". Supervisors are reassured.

Cases closed. Statistics looking "tidier". Meanwhile, children remain in danger.