IN response to the letter from Mr Cumbers (June 28), I would like to make the following comments with regards to reporting crime and local police. I can reassure him police officers and staff are working hard in St Ives and across the division, sometimes

IN response to the letter from Mr Cumbers (June 28), I would like to make the following comments with regards to reporting crime and local police.

I can reassure him police officers and staff are working hard in St Ives and across the division, sometimes in highly visible roles such as patrolling, and often in less visible but highly effective operational activity.

We commit much of our time to frontline patrol staff, the people who are most visible on your streets. In particular, we have teams active tackling persistent problems such as anti-social behaviour and drug dealers and users. And there are many other operations which are less visible but which help keep neighbourhoods safer.

Is our approach working? Crime is down in this division by six per cent - that's 1,219 fewer victims of crime than last year. We're not complacent but we are moving in the right direction.

Mr Cumbers also asks what we are doing about mobile phone misuse and parking on yellow lines. So far this year traffic officers have issued 1,549 fixed penalty notices to people using a mobile phone while driving. And in relation to parking 875 tickets have been issued this year.

Chief Superintendent DAVID HANKINS

Central Division divisional commander

Cambridgeshire police