Even then, you are better for having done something in the moment with the intention to help, than to have done nothing out of fear of doing the wrong thing.

It really depends. If it was a grown man who could easily overpower me, I probably wouldn't, as that wouldn't solve anything.
But yes, it is difficult to decide weather or not a crime is going on.

Reminds me of the minister who moved to his new post in a new town, driving around, gets a bit lost. A prostitue leans in his car window and says, "I'll do anything you want for $100." And he smiles and says, "Here's a hundred bucks. Paint my house!"

In America, he would still be charged with 'solicitation' and end up loosing his reputation and his job, marriage etc etc.... because if he tried to defend himself by telling the truth, who would believe it! Not only would people not believe it, they would probably be insulted by such a lame assed lie.

In life, it is not enough just to rely on the truth, you have to be aware that the law does not abide unusual circumstances or unlikely probabilities. If you have to avoid, lie or modify your situation to fit in with what is more likely/believable, then that is what you have to do.

taking this on the face value from the title - yes why the heck not? does no one have any sense of decency?!

Oh my hod, how could you ask that!

OF COURSE NOT!

Now, really, Spain has a similar problem (if you use the force to defense yourself at your own home from intruders, for example), but I don't think it would be a problem in such a case at all. Also, the parents of that child would be eternally grateful to you, and that's something no law can change.

Awww...

Is there anyone that would let the kid be kidnaped, really?, the minimum you can do is to call the police if you are not brave enough to encounter the kidnapper or you just don't want any trouble with the law.

Would I stop a kidnapping?

Probably not.

Would I TRY to stop a kidnapping,

Yes.

Yes, if I knew it were a kidnapping.

If I had any doubts as to whether the parent was indeed the parent or not, I would not allow the situation to pass until I had verification that such was/was not the case.

Apology explaining my rationale, if it was the parent, or be on my way after it was resolved, by competent authority, if it was not.

If a custodial matter, I would likely stay out of it, unless tasked with law enforcement responsibilities.

Edit to add: Would become involved in custodial matters if child showed distress.

I came up with a good reasoning of what i could do in that situation of a kidnapping....

I would intervene if there was other people around, but i would not extend my intervention beyond reasoning with words and or a bluff.

If there were no other people around, then i would not intervene, i would pretend i believe the kidnapper is the father, gather what information i could and then go and call the police. Because if there were no other people around, and i did intervene and got taken out, then there would be no further hope for the child.

I understand rationale, but sometimes you can be in a situation where you are the only hope. If you get taken out, that might be the price you have to pay for letting another dance, ie: the child get away.

We have lived, the child has not; I'd run the risk.

I disagree, on the one hand you roll the dice on resolving the situation immediately or total failure and no backup. On the other hand, you guarantee that the police will be informed at the earliest possible point.

Also not only do you not know what the bad guy is capable of, you also cannot know what assets the police may have in the area. edit: (fat chance i know!).

Calling the police is a guarantee of at least some kind of assistance over a risk of total failure. The best choice is clear.

Edit: Also while calling the police, if possible, i would follow them from a distance and take down the number plate of any vehicle they boarded.

I was a cop for a time, and I agree from that perspective.

I was a dad longer, and a man longer than that.

The abilities of one human, over another, is not that great that I would risk the life of a child to the abilities of the police to find them later, and in time, to prevent the harm that could come to the child.

I have never been in the kidnapping of a child situation, but I have been in the situation where adults were held captive by nuts, in a sense; both times I intervened non-violently and with success.

One time I was waiting for coffee at a drive through, and I noticed a guy following a few women out of the door. I thought nothing of it, until I noticed that the women were hurriedly trying to get to a bus stop. They were on their way to work, I guess, and the guy was all animated and to the point that I could hear him in the car railing about some capitalist crap. The women were looking like they needed to get away, so I figured I'd do something to "pick him off;" get his attention on me, instead of them.

I got out of the car, approached, and said "I agree bud." He immediately started to rail his non-sensical rants toward me, and I engaged him for the few minutes it took for their bus to arrive. The funny part is that, at the end, he paused, took a look at me finally, and said "you look like management to me." I knew what that meant, but I still had to smile, reassuring him that I wasn't. :-)

Another time, I saw a man and woman huddling on a park bench. I was taking my kids to a baseball game, these people were new to the area and attempting to do the same thing, but a street nut converged upon them and threatened for a handout. I noticed, told my kids to stay back, and "picked him off" too. The couple sure as hell lost no time getting out of there either.

I could go on with stories and details, but what is important is that you can't be afraid to act when you need to. In each of these instances I might have had problems, but I was certainly in a better position to deal with those problems than the others that faced it.

In the end, it is up to you whether you get involved or not. You may not get thanks, you may even get hurt, but in the end it is worth it if you feel you have done the right thing.

Well, being a policeman indicates a certain level of intelligence that you can use to interact in situations and reduce the risk of an incident. The average person will never have that level of skill, and if they participated in that kind of situation then the chances are they will end up aggravating the bad guy and make the situation much worse.... this is something as a policeman, you must have seen happen plenty of times?

I was a civilian, in a civilian capacity, in the above instances.

The stories and details do not matter as much as the last part.

It is up to you, as a man, as a person, to determine what is right for you.

Think carefully, as you will have to live with it should the situation arise.

A cop, preacher, soldier, businessman, all have to rely upon their insides, and they are no different than yours.

Edit as I thought I needed a comma :-)