ON Tuesday night, thieves stole some ornaments from the garden of my elderly parents who live in a village just north of York.

My 76-year-old mother is seriously ill in York Hospital and this news has greatly upset her because she and my father both love their garden.

Of course, in today's climatewhere there are not enough police officers and more wrong-doers than society can cope with, my father was told there was nothing the police could do and the items would most likely turn up at a car boot sale this weekend.

This highlights two major problems in the York area.

Without the necessary resources, numbers of police and regular patrols, the future looks bleak, especially for the more vulnerable members of our communities.

There is also the issue of car boot sales and how much they encourage theft because they are an easy way of disposing of stolen goods.

When was the last time you asked where your boot sale bargain came from?

I appeal to the decent, honest people of York and the surrounding areas: if you should see two stone lions and a semi-circular stone bench at a sale, please report them to the police immediately.

Rose Smith,

The Mission House,

Marlborough Road,

London.

Updated: 16:18 Friday, June 20, 2003