FEW crimes evoke as much outrage and revulsion as paedophilia. To ravage the innocence of a child is to commit the most heinous of violations.

In the climate of outrage that exists in society in relation to this issue we frequently witness exasperated and fearful residents taking matters into their own hands to keep paedophiles at bay. Vigilante action is, of course, not to be condoned but it must be extremely difficult for parents to do nothing, knowing that a paedophile is living next door.

For the police and the council it is often a no-win situation. Paedophiles, released from prison, have to live somewhere.

The answer for society is to first of all ensure that paedophiles always face the toughest of sentences, and when they are released it is up to the authorities to make sure that they're not put into locations that are clearly inappropriate - opposite schools or nurseries for example.

Too often, local authorities do not seem to take enough care with this issue.

The news today that malicious leaflets are being dropped on to doormats in Blackburn, citing the address of an innocent person, is a different problem altogether.

Nevertheless, it does again highlight the potential dangers involved in inciting the community. Newspapers, too, are sometimes accused of irresponsibly stirring things up. However, the vast majority of newspapers do not want to gratuitously incite but nevertheless feel they must draw attention to real paedophile dangers, particularly when it is apparent that insufficient thought has gone into residential locations for released paedophiles.

It is a matter of acting responsibly but still building into the equation the need to protect the public.

The distribution of malicious leaflets, however, serves no one and simply inflames an already combustible situation.