Rural crime-fighting came under further attack today with villagers in a second community launching a stinging attack, saying they had "lost confidence" in the police, write Nick Evans and Roseena Parveen.

Councillors from Cumnor criticised Thames Valley Police over the growing problem of vandalism in the village, which they claim officers are failing to address. Parish council chairman Philip Hawtin said: "Sadly, there can be no doubt there has been a loss of confidence in the police's willingness to address issues that concern local residents.

"Increasingly the cry is heard that they have their own agenda.

"The council shares this concern."

Relations between police and the residents of Cumnor, near Oxford, became so bad that councillors complained to senior officers at the force HQ in Kidlington. In a strongly worded attack in the parish council newsletter, Mr Hawtin added: "Vandalism is an increasing problem. It can only be overcome if there is effective co-operation between local residents and the police. It is to be hoped that relations will improve."

Last week, villagers at Haddenham, near Thame, said they had lost faith in the police, branding the service "app- alling." Angry councillors hit out after an arson attack on a 92-year-old woman's home and a separate attack on the village hall.

Actor Jeremy Irons, who is Oxfordshire branch president of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, has also voiced concern on rural crime.

Mr Irons, who lives at Watlington, urged rural communities in Oxfordshire to join neighbourhood watch schemes. He said he believed that it was up to the rural communities to do more to police themselves by increasing neighbourhood watch schemes and re-educating young people how to behave in a civilised society.

Mr Irons, said: "It is a very complicated issue. In Watlington at night, police have to come from Aylesbury now. They are wonderful guys, but they are well overworked. "The problem is that if you are a burglar for example, you can get from Birmingham to Watlington almost faster than you can get a policeman from Aylesbury to Watlington."

Although in favour of increasing police presence in villages, Mr Irons said he did not believe it was necessarily the answer to rural crime.

He said: "It is also up to us to start policing ourselves and to not put up with bad behaviour. "But in order to do so, we have to have support from the police.

"There are worries about such words as 'vigilante', but there is no doubt that police forces at the moment are not able to deal with one-off crimes in small villages.

"We must learn to police ourselves and educate children about how to behave."

Mr Irons said he felt part of the answer could be to legalise all drugs to cut down the number of crimes committed by addicts trying to find cash to feed their habit. He said: "I think there is a strong argument to legalise all drugs, allowing those who want to poison themselves to do so."