The day after reading the story I came out of my house to go to work, and my car had also been vandalised in the same way causing several thousand pounds worth of damage.

My initial reaction was to call the police and report a crime. Did I get to actually speak to a police officer? Not a chance, instead I got a list of options with numbers to press depending on the severity of an "incident".

Eventually I was put through to a "recorder of crime" and although she was a lovely person who sympathised with my plight, just took my details and issued me with a "crime number". Would it not have been better to receive a police service that we as council tax payers are actually paying for?

I've had a call from the incident support unit. Surprise, surprise, there's nothing they can do. Are we as motorists just seen as a soft target by the police, ideal for filling the coffers up with speeding and parking fines, but when it comes to helping us as victims of a crime all we get is a crime number?

Mark Mooney, St Agnes Road, Belle Vue