I WRITE with regard to the letter headed 'Unwelcome attention' (Dear Star, April 1). Several weeks ago a similar unpleasant experience happened to myself, also in the St Mary's shopping precinct.

While looking at sales items in a clothes shop with my husband I became aware of a security guard standing nearby. I was absolutely horrified to hear what appeared to be a very good description of me (clothes, hairstyle) come out quite loudly on his walkie-talkie. The people around me couldn't have failed to hear this also.

In common with concerned shopper I am also in my early 40s with no criminal record and categorically no leanings towards shop-lifting.

Feeling embarrassed and upset I told my husband, who tackled the security guard about it. The guard said he could understand about it. The guard said he could understand how we felt but he had no control over what came over on the walkie-talkie and it wasn't necessarily my description.

I felt sufficiently concerned to back-track to the previous shop we had been in, deducing that the description had come from their security guard. After confronting the manager we were told that they weren't even connected to the walkie-talkie system.

I felt slightly mollified by this, but for the rest of the day I imagined every security guard in every shop was targeting me. Eventually, convincing myself I was becoming paranoid, I managed to put it out of my mind.

There can be no doubt security measures are needed and do work, but surely upsetting and embarrassing genuine members of the public should be avoided?

Sympathetic shopper (name and address supplied).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.