Find Your Child Quicker With New Safety Zones

23 July 2012, 15:54 | Updated: 23 July 2012, 16:35

That awful feeling of panic for a parent when they can't find their child in a busy Town Centre is hoping to be reduced in Hemel Hempstead with the introduction of new Child Safety Zones.

The scheme have been launched by Dacorum Business Against Crime and the idea is to reunite parents and children quicker if they get separated when shopping.

Businesses in the town show they are supporting the scheme by having a sticker on their window- then if parents are separated from their child they can go into one of these shops and they will be put directly in touch with the CCTV room.

Parents will also be able to go in these shops to get a wristband for their child- they can write their phone number on the band and then if the child is to go missing, the person who finds them can contact the parent.

The scheme has been used in other towns and Roy Aldwin from Dacorum Business Against Crime is confident it will work in Hemel:

"There is evidence that shows that children in towns that have Child Safe Zones operating, children that get separated tend to be reunite much more quickly"

Heart caught up with a few mums in Hemel- Kelly told us she thinks the scheme is a good idea, as she knows what that feeling of panic is like:

"I took my eyes off him for like two seconds and he just disappeared and it was like my whole world just stopped and i was like I need to find him"

Thankfully Kelly's son was just hiding under the slide at a park.

Kate lives in the town with her young daughter- she's never had the experience of being separated from her daughter but says its something that does worry her:

"Its a constant worry when she's out of the buggy but you've just got to keep your eyes open haven't you"