I WOULD like to curse the nincompoop who tried to steal my car in the middle of the night on August 2 at 3am -- or thereabouts.

I am not sure of the exact time, but this was the time the police awoke me, from a very pleasant dream, to ask me why my car was in the middle of the road.

Either they were very young, or just plain useless at stealing cars -- I do not know. Cars do not drive very well when you break the steering wheel off. But they did engage the handbrake and therefore not put defenceless members of the public at risk and not just let my car roll down the road.

I certainly do not applaud or commend the cost of repair to my vehicle, and feel that people really should have better things to do in the middle of the night other than to destroy other people's property when, in effect, we, as taxpayers, are paying to keep them in the comfort they are obviously enjoying.

In other words, we are paying twice or suffering twice because we are honest and decent enough to go to work and not take, take, take.

Thank you for making my precious time off work memorable and sleepless, just a pity I am not in Seattle. But that is taking into consideration the fact that these people are literate in the first place.

(Name and address supplied)