I have heard some rubbish spoken by MP Ruth Kelly but her latest claim that violent crime is under control is utterly ridiculous, talk about putting your head in the sand?

All I read in the Bolton News and hear on Tower FM at the moment is about violent attacks on someone, another murder, a pensioner knocked to the floor by robbers, priests attacked in the street, another armed robbery, innocent victims attacked for pennies, the list is endless.

While I do not decry her attempts to calm the situation, what does annoy me is how out of touch she is with her constituents, the very people she is supposed to represent.

People tell me on a daily basis that something needs to be done. People’s perceptions, rightly or wrongly, are that Bolton is becoming a more violent place to work and live. People tell me they no longer go out in the evenings preferring to stay behind their heavily draped curtains because they fear that they might be next victim for simply looking at someone the “wrong way”.

Instead of claiming all in well what she and her government should be doing is actually addressing the problem.

I am one of the first to acknowledge the excellent work our over stretched police are doing but if peoples perceptions with regards the fear of crime do not change then all their hard work is in vain.

People want to feel that they can go out at night without the fear of being targeted. People want to feel that if a crime is committed against them or their property that their rights will be considered first. People want the criminals to be punished for their crimes but more often than not this is not the case. They get let off with a smacked hand and not a lot more. People want the punishment to fit the crime and people think our courts seem to be becoming impotent because of politcal correctness that seems to be swamping our country.

Instead of sticking up for her politcal paymasters in London Ruth Kelly should be sticking up for us and telling Tony “lame duck” Blair and John “I’ll sort it” Reid how it actually is on the streets where we live; but I suppose she would have to live here to be able to do that?

Get real Ruth, do the job you are paid for and tell them as it is not as your “rose tinted glasses” seem to telling you it is.

There would be no one happier than me for you to be able to tell Mr Blair and Mr Brown that all is well in Bolton but it is not and you should be telling them as it is instead of coming out with the clap trap that you have over the last few days.