Sir, The Government is always claiming to be fighting anti-social and criminal behaviour, but it's all mouth and no trousers; the rules appear to make it hard for police to take effective action.

While I would not support arbitrary 'stop-and- search' type policing, it is worrying when the strongest circumstantial evidence is not enough for police to look for freshly stolen goods, and thus nail thieves.

On Friday, a youth stole mobile phones from staff areas of two shops in Magdalen Road, Oxford. There were six witnesses who had seen him in the right places at the right time for the thefts, or had spotted him casing the shops the previous day; all described the same individual.

On Saturday he re-appeared, snooping behind the scenes in a third shop, and three of us effected a citizens' arrest and he was duly collected by a police car.

With what we thought was pretty robust indications, we assumed that at the very least the police would search his home for stolen goods. In our dreams! The duty officer ordered his immediate release, and refused even to ask an inspector for permission to search.

Over the past decade my house has been burgled and I have been assaulted and injured. Despite blood for DNA and fingerprints in the burglary and identifying my assailant from photos, the police and/or the CPS would not proceed in either case.

Although there were clear indications from goods targeted in the burglary where to look, the police took over a week to search premises needless to say nothing was found.

The police expect co-operation from the public, but are not themselves delivering the goods. They are well-trained in public relations, making reassuring noises and taking endless statements, and many officers on the ground are doing their best (and getting very frustrated).

I understand that problems are exacerbated by drug addicts being forced into crime by the lack of legal licensed supply, but the fact is that overall the police are simply not solving or preventing petty crime, the kind that affects most of us on a day-to-day basis.

I do not favour vigilantism, but I can see why some feel driven in that direction. It sometimes appears that only criminals have rights !

Anthony Cheke, Oxford