Fewer burglars to stop

SIR – The numbers of police available has little to do with the reduction in car theft and burglary (report, October 17). Car theft is down mainly because it is hard to steal a car, due to security improvements introduced by the manufacturers. As for burglary, there is not much to be gained by breaking in and stealing goods that are hard to dispose of and bring in little money.

It is far easier to try to trick old (and younger) people out of their money on the internet. As an added advantage, the police are pretty useless at detecting and preventing such activity and sentences for fraud are much lower than for physical crime.

It is significant that the fictional hero of the new Porridge is in jail for cyber-crime, rather than for burglary like his predecessor. Nicholas Wightwick

Rossett, Denbighshire

SIR – Six months have elapsed since the so-called Putney Bridge jogger hit the headlines, and still no sign of him. What on earth is going on?

Bernard Mcgowan

Kingston upon Thames, Surrey