Rates stay steady but fear still grows as communities wait for government lead

Othery, Wrexham and Sheffield are not obvious places to visit for a series on crime. They have not featured in the news recently (not for crime anyway), and they are never likely to rival London, Manchester or Glasgow in the premier league of crime hotspots.

That, in essence, was the best reason to choose them. Hard core criminal activity - murders, shootings and gang feuds - is prevalent in only a handful of cities and accounts for a fraction of recorded crime. But shocking incidents always jostle other issues out of the spotlight.

It takes a case like the conviction of the Norfolk farmer Tony Martin to make ministers and opinion-formers realise how out of touch they are with the way people are feeling. In villages such as Othery, the fear of crime is every bit as damaging and undermining to community spirit as villainy itself.

Pity the "beat manager" PC Rachael Cooke, who diligently covers Othery in her beat of 12 parishes. Quite rightly, the statisticians at Avon and Somerset's head quarters cannot justify putting another officer in the area. Even PC Cooke is hard-pressed to think of reasons why she should have help. The community, though, feels isolated and vulnerable.

Depression is pervasive and deep-rooted. Villagers say they "cannot be bothered" to report crimes because there is no point.

Crime rates remain the same, PC Cooke tootles around in her car none the wiser, and the force sees no good reason to consider re-evaluating the situation. The police, on the other hand, believe villagers cling to the idea of having a beat bobby because it represents an age which has passed.

But PC Danny Morgan, who was Othery's much-loved policeman between 1954 and 1970, says he dealt with just as much crime in his day.

Village life is changing at a speed many find hard to accept. There are more "outsiders" living in Othery, while traditional industries such as farming have struggled to survive.

Wrexham is a different case altogether. It is a busy provincial town that is beginning to suffer from the sort of inner-city problems London got used to long ago. The police have done a great job tackling the town's "traditional" crime - public disorder and shoplifting.

The Venture playground on the Caia estate is a gem of a project which shows what can be achieved by involving children who would otherwise have nowhere to go.

But drug dealing and drug addiction are different problems, and they require more sophisticated solutions. Wrexham needs help and advice from the forces which have been there and done that, otherwise the dealers will have a free hand.

Quite how Superintendent Steve Hicks solves Sheffield's prostitution problem is another matter. He is juggling with an issue that will not be sorted out by policing alone, yet people look to the force to sort things out. This is as true of the difficulties in Othery and Wrexham.

In all three places, the fear of crime has grown, even though crime rates have been constant. There has obviously been a breakdown in trust. The police say they are doing all they can. The public wants more. Both are waiting for government to take the lead.

Sheffield: Crime figures for city centre:

Crimes reported last year 740

Crimes reported 1997-98 755

Detection rate 45%

Officers available for policing on a daily basis 14