The criticisms levelled against Croydon police have developed over the last few years - they have not just happened (Police top brass come under fire, Croydon Guardian, October 25).

There have been many indicators in the reports that are submitted to the police consultative group, such as the percentage of response calls not arriving within specified times, increases in violence (not all because of the night time economy) and many others.

Perhaps that is what has fuelled the fear of crime' that is high in Croydon?

However, the advent of safer neighbourhood teams rolling out borough-wide should tackle incidents of antisocial behaviour at grass roots level.

Each customer panel has prioritised its own problems for each ward team to tackle. My concern regarding this is that the officers, both police and PCSOs, seem to work only during the day.

As one knows, each ward and its district centre has different and varying problems that occur over a 24-hour time frame.

To see neighbourhood officers patrolling around the pubs and eateries during the evening is very rare. Perhaps it's time that we see officers patrolling at any time of the day and night to observe and tackle the gangs of youths, drunks and others who seem to appear at all hours.

The town centre is patrolled at weekends following the club closures, it's about time that the district centres and their watering holes were monitored at chucking out time'.

You cannot always leave it to the Pubwatch schemes, much of the violence occurs in residential roads when potential victims are followed home or to transport terminals.

KATHRYN BONDS received by email