How on earth can this sort of thing happen in a supposedly Civilised Society?

I suppose, like me, you have read of the horrific life led by Daniel Pelka at the hands of his mother Magdelena Luczak and his step father Mariusz Krezolek. In four short years he was subjected to abominable horrors - starved, force fed salt, locked up in a bedroom with no internal handle on the door so he could not get out, subjected to near drowning and regularly beaten. We have various agencies charged with protecting the young - social services, the police, schoolteachers, doctors and hospitals to mention just some, and all these agencies were involved in some way or another with Daniel, yet the impossible has happened. A poor defenceless child has been killed at the hands of his parents. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS SORT OF THING HAS HAPPENED Do you remeber the "Baby P" case? In truth, I am also afraid to say that I believe IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENS EITHER. Isn't it time that these agencies stopped pussy footing around such evil parents and took the stance we don't believe you until you can prove what you are saying is true. For far too long the attitude of these agencies has been stay at arms length - give the parents a chance. What sort of a chance? A chance to kill a poor defenceless little boy? All the theory and paperwork in the world will not stop this sort of thing happenning. We need to give our Social Services the teeth they need to step in and take control right from the first signs of problems. Decency forbids me from commenting on what I would do to the parents. Maybe some fellow prisoner will do it to them instead.