It was very distressing to read of the ordeal Rolf Watson and his family had to go through ('Gang yob put me in hospital', June 23).

I sympathise with them and do not want them to feel they are alone. I wish there could be some kind of campaign empowering citizens to do something about the dreadful situation that has arisen across York.

For starters it would be good to know if it is a good idea to photograph the gangs so we can identify them.

Then you could push the police for a "gang problem" reference we could give when we dial 999.

At the moment long and tortuous descriptions of the problem with someone in Northallerton can be frustrating when all you want is a quick police presence at the scene.

These are just some initial ideas but I hope they can picked up and a real empowerment strategy developed. The police really should be taking a lead on this. Maybe this is the push they need.

Name and address supplied.

Updated: 11:14 Friday, June 25, 2004