THE Daily Echo has printed a few of my letters in which I bemoan the lack of adequate response to low life' crime and have been surprised at the many readers who have noticed them.

One such reader replied by letter stating that when we persevere the offenders are eventually found out, and taken out.

Therein lies a big part of the problem in that it takes too long from the detection of the offenders' first crime to his or her finally being caught often enough to win a virtually unenforceable ASBO.

As the national detection rate for crime is abysmally low, the question must be asked as to how many offences are actually committed before an ASBO is granted to the offender, and just how many decent people have needlessly suffered in the meantime.

The writer also raises the question of homophobic behaviour. It is in my opinion the watering down of use of the old Offences Against the Persons Act that has led to many of the present day problems.

In the 1960s I was a PC in the Met. When reports of violent attacks on homosexuals came to our attention we dealt with this by arresting the offenders who appeared at West London Magistrates Court on the morning following the arrest. There was no automatic bail in those days, they were dealt with most effectively by Mr Stephenson, the stipendiary magistrate. Our local idiots ceased that particular activity forthwith.

In my view it makes no difference if an assault is homophobic, racist, sexist or any other ist. An assault is an assault and should be dealt with strenuously for whatever reason it is committed. Until that starts to happen we will continue the slide into anarchy that started around 1965, and which no government has made serious efforts to contain since.

ALAN KEBBELL, Southampton.