ANOTHER lead story in the Bolton Evening News (April 25), "Battered Pensioner Staggers For Help", concerns yet another attack on an elderly lady.

It would be nice for us to go a full week without a story like this, and yet, therein lies the problem. "To go a week"? -- we should be able to go a whole year without these incidents!

The people that perform these cowardly crimes do so without a second's thought any more. And why? Because there is nothing anybody is able to do do about it -- pure and simple.

The police are so stretched that the chances of catching these thugs are minimal. But, if they do catch somebody, then there is no slapped wrist any more at the courts -- they don't even get that much!

The "Human Rights" lobbyists have done their job very well. They have chipped away at the fabric of our society, very quietly getting on with their aim of undermining the heart of this country's passion for justice and law and order. (Whose idea was it for the police force to become a police service?). It is time that "Human Rights" were abolished and replaced by "Human Reponsibilities".

It is arrogant to suggest that we have rights, before we have done anything to deserve these rights. Only those who can show responsibility toward themselves and others should have the privileges that go with it -- the rights of passage.

Those that cannot accept that responsibility? Well, perhaps if we build a special prison for people who perpetuate these types of crime, and give them the "right" to spend 10 years there, (no less), 24 hours a day in isolation, no visitors, no TV or radio -- I wonder if that will then make these criminals start thinking twice again! And if they are under age (let's make it under 12), then an adult related to the youth serves the sentence.

Yes, I know it sounds laughable to suggest that, but I don't think you'll hear much laughter from the victims of these crimes. And it almost needs a dramatic new policy to help us stem the tide, so that in 10 years' time these crimes will have almost been eradicated because of the fear of the punishment. (And a new kind of parenting may arise as a consequence, like a phoenix from the flames -- no more late nights for our young people, wandering the streets, because the parents will want and need to know where they are and what they are getting up to!)

I have noticed how many strong letters have come in recently because of parking fines. How about getting angry about crimes against the vulnerable members of our community? For their sake, we need to become "nosey" in our street. For their sake, we need to be prepared to stand at our gates and watch suspicious goings-on. But we also need to have the support of our justice system.

Because, if we don't, then I fear we will not just have weekly headlines of the sort we read on April 25 -- we will have daily headlines until, one day, these crimes will only make a few column inches on the inside pages, because they will have become so common-place.

So, what are WE prepared to do about it? Let's forget our parking fines -- get writing in about this with your suggestions.

(Name and address supplied)