JACK Straw tells us not to walk by when we see a crime.

But it is quite obvious, when he comes out with a remark like this, that he has no idea how to address the crime problem.

Mr Straw has police protection on his home, not like us who could have a brick thrown through the window if we happen to be known to the criminal. A lot of these people are drugged up and dangerous.

What we need is a swift and effective deterrent - a good birching.

It would make more room in our prisons and cut down on the cost of keeping these morons in them.

In Singapore, the birch is used and crime rate there is very low. Mr Straw should stop taking notice of the do-gooders. They have caused this mess in the first place.

H HAMER (Mrs), Lowther Place, Little Harwood, Blackburn.

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