Any parent will be concerned at the figures that show more than 70 children in the Bradford district are what the police term as being “at risk” of being groomed for sexual exploitation by paedophiles.

Grooming, or specific targeting of young people for sexual purposes, is something that has become more prevalent in recent years – or, at least, the public awareness of such practices has become more widely known.

Cases where children are attacked or molested by opportunistic paedophiles on the street are – thankfully – still rare. The danger is usually closer to home, when adults who are known to the children or young people in question carefully build up relationships with them which then take a much more sinister turn.

We should be heartened, however, that the police are taking a more pro-active and preventative role in identifying these young people and taking action rather than waiting until an offence has been committed – and a young life perhaps irrevocably damaged – before becoming involved.

It is, by necessity, “softly, softly” policing, especially as some young people in these situations might not see themselves as being victims of abuse, but rather in what they see as a relationship with an older man.

While the numbers are cause for concern, it is better that the police can identify those at risk rather than abuse going on in the background where no-one is aware of it.

And to that end, we perhaps all have a part to play in being more vigilant as to what our children are doing and who they are with, and educating them as to the dangers and inappropriateness of certain types of relationship, no matter how innocent they might seem at first.