SPEAKING as a former police officer having served in both Sussex and West Yorkshire, I am outraged by the treatment of Mr Kevin Standing who had his car stolen and was told by Sussex Police to look for it himself.

The reason a uniformed officer attends the scene of a crime is not because he thinks he will be able to detect it there and then. The purpose is to look for and preserve any forensic evidence ready for the scenes of crime officer.

Next is to knock on the neighbours’ doors to ask if anyone saw anything.

The most important reason for immediately attending the scene is to give the police an opportunity to talk to the public and gather information that can be passed on to CID.

It is just after a crime has been committed when local people are most willing to tell the police what is going on in their neighbourhood. Who they have their suspicions about. Who amongst the younger generation is beginning to be a troublemaker and potential future criminal.

The final lesson for all of us. If you do own a new or expensive car worth thousands, then it is worth paying a couple of hundred pounds a year to have it fitted with a ‘tracker’.

S Bower, Hallyburton Road, Hove