THE tragic death of Sarah Everard is a sad symptom of the age we live in.

The Argus recently reported the rape of a man. As you walk around Brighton and Hove and other places you are accosted by beggars. Graffiti scars virtually every building. The way our city and country is policed must be reviewed.

Walking along St James's Street I was approached twice by beggars. I am in my late sixties and fairly fit so I am able to resist their approaches. Many people including the aged and frail are terrified by the aggressive attitude of these undesirables.

Quite clearly there needs to be a return to the "policeman on the beat" which existed in the past.

It seems the police are reactive rather then pro-active which means they wait for crime to be committed rather then preventing wrong doing in the first place.

Police Community Support officers (PCSO) seem to have little authority. It would make sense to disband this service and create more police officers. Could not the PCSO become proper police officers ?

In the early Seventies when I started frequenting pubs and dance halls there were always police around when people made their way home. As a child, I can remember the regular police officers walking the streets. Acts of vandalism or violence were usually witnessed and the guilty punished.

The calls to "reclaim the streets" are laudable.

We need a stronger and more visible police presence.

Richard J Szypulski

Brighton