the nanny state

I see this issue with both eyes, common sense applies; if common sense was so common everyone would have it. In the places I have lived I might have a tendency to be a lot more vigilant of children in the area. I wouldn't have any problem with a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds roaming my current neighborhood especially if they were within sight of their own homes. I have lived in some urban centers where I would be very concerned if I happened upon the same age group of kids playing outside without any direct adult supervision but those were areas where I didn't feel all that safe myself.

CB hit the nail on the head, if you haven't raised your child to recognize when they need to get adult help on their own then you probably think it's someone else's job to teach them those skills. Kids challenge rules and authority, it's how they learn about right and wrong. Mom and Dad need to be there to help them make good choices and let them fail safely when they can but Mom and Dad ultimately need to correct bad behavior when it occurs. Nothing says I love you like a big red hand print on a child's posterior but those lessons need to be deserved and there should be several warnings first. Smacking a kid around without any warning or explanation is abuse and nothing else.

I also think that letting kids explore and setting expectations helps to grow a level of trust between parents and children. Tell them what is expected, verify that they did what you asked them to do, and correct them when they break the rules. It never hurts to praise compliance and it only take a second to say thank you and/or good job. Positive reinforcement almost always works better than intimidation (unless you're a 16 year old boy wanting to date my niece...).