OUR children are precious. They are also vulnerable. That is why we must be constantly vigilant in their protection.

You might think that a stranger who attempted to kidnap a child was a very obvious danger. You might expect that such a person should automatically be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register so that they could not pose a threat to children in future.

What was so shocking about the case of predator Terry Delaney, convicted of trying to abduct brave Strensall teenager Natalie Hicks, was that the judge who sentenced him to four years in prison was powerless to have him registered as a sex offender. Why? Because of a loophole in the law. Child abduction,

scandalously, is not listed under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

It was the fear that Delaney, and others like him, would be free to prey upon children again on their release from prison that led us to launch our Change It! campaign.

We have challenged the Government to create a new law which would allow judges to place men like Delaney on the Sex Offenders' Register - ensuring they could be properly monitored on their release from jail.

Today, we have further backing for our campaign - from the man elected by young people in York to represent them.

Coun Dave Scott, the city's Young People's Champion, says he will be writing to the Home Secretary to support our call for the law to be changed.

We welcome his support. But we need your support too. Our children's safety is something that should concern all of us.

Today, we reprint our Change It! petition. We urge all of you who have not already done so to fill it in and return it to us. Every

single one of you who does will be helping to make the future safer for children everywhere.

Updated: 11:35 Monday, May 15, 2006