Tough job keeping pledge

As an 11-year-old boy is gunned down in Liverpool, our first female Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, promises to get tough on the fear and violence that pollutes our streets.

To me, there seems to be two huge impediments which will foil her ambition.

The first is inadequate staffing of our police forces who simply cannot provide the levels of response which the public expect, let alone a patrol presence which might do much to deter crime. Frankly, in this day and age, I think it's crass in any case to send out lone, unarmed police officers or community support officers.

Secondly, our legal system is so unwieldy and antiquated that the business of dealing with cases and dispensing justice efficiently proceeds at a snail's pace.

It might suit the pockets of the legal profession, but all it does is feed the arrogance of those who have no respect for the law and undermine the the confidence of those who rely upon the law to protect them.

The criminal justice system is failing the people and police numbers would need to be doubled to even begin to make a difference.

Address those two issues and you might come close to keeping your promise, Jacqui.

Robert Jenkins, Stirchley