The Police Service has some cause to give itself a pat on the back this week for the job it did in 2001.

Crime was up on 2000, but it was still lower than in four of the last six years. Arrests of all kinds were up dramatically on the previous year, and this included arrests for outstanding warrants. Clearly, the Police are doing some things right. Seizures of drugs also increased during the year, as did arrests, suggesting that supply is being curtailed, although that cannot be absolutely proven.

Violent crime too has fallen, although woundings rose during the year, which is a worrying sign. But that does not mean that there isn't more to be done. There are pockets of high crime on the Island, most notably some areas in Somerset and others in the East End. But it does seem clear that an increased Police presence and a rapid and heavy response to serious crimes both deters potential offenders and has often resulted in quick arrests.

What is needed now is a continued focus on community policing and the enforcement of a "broken window policy" in trouble spots. That means that known drug dealers loitering in trouble spots should be arrested and dealt with for minor offences; the idea is to make life so uncomfortable for them that they get off the streets.

Only then, even with an improved record of arrests and a crime rate that has been basically flat, people will, rightly, continue to feel more vulnerable than they should.