YOUR ARTICLE about the knife robbery in the Co-op store in Archers Road, came as no surprise.

This entire community – Archers Road, Howard Road and all side roads, have been left out to dry by politicians at national and local level.

They all seem to think that they owe nothing to their voters.

All we hear is them whining about ‘no resources’ or, at the centre, ‘it’s up to local authorities to deal with.’.

The result is, nobody deals with it. Resources are, I suspect, most likely to be misused.

How many ‘prestige projects’ does the City need to polish the egos of council officers to a fine shine?

I am unable to safely leave my home after 4 pm. At this time, all the addicts emerge and start hustling passers-by for money.

If you ignore them, they pursue you with abuse and threats.

If I have ever needed to go to the corner Co-op a little later, I have to run the gauntlet of the hustling, numerous dealers riding around the pavement on their bikes and servicing their customers.

In the store, it is normal to be confronted by thieves, stuffing stolen items into their clothing or a plastic carrier – how convenient.

I’ve lost count of the times I have notified staff.

Some of these criminals are aggressive when challenged and the staff have told me of some frightening incidents.

How soon will it be before a knife is produced and used?

Staff members do a great job working hard for little pay. Why should they be made the front-line in crime prevention? The police do nothing.

There are a huge number of licensed premises in a 100m radius of the crossroads. How on earth can this be justified?

Party politics are irrelevant here; we just want some protection and we need it now.

Name and address supplied