Acomb is a pleasant-seeming suburb of York, with its own shops and schools. It is, as City Of York Council leader Steve Galloway says, "generally a safe and nice place to live". And he should know, he lives there.

Yet there appears to be another Acomb, a place where residents are finding their lives blighted by crime. A place where, according to one resident quoted on the opposite page, "it feels like there is an undercurrent of aggression". A place where a number of elderly people have suffered muggings.

As if to confirm the suspicion that life is not as sweet as once it was, pupils from two schools were yesterday embroiled in a fight at Acomb's Safeway supermarket. This was hardly an encouraging start to the new school term - and provided further evidence for those who feel that life in their community is getting worse.

The schools involved will need to look closely at what happened to see whether their lunchtime procedures can be tightened up. One answer may simply be to say that no pupils are allowed to leave school at all during the midday break.

As for the general problem of crime, it remains true that fear of crime is greater than the occurrence of crime. Yet that fear is very real, and if people find their lives curtailed by fear, then something has to be done.

This is why we should welcome North Yorkshire Chief Constable Della Cannings' determination to put more uniformed officers back on the beat. Ms Cannings has a lot to live up to. Her force has received an impressive boost in funding thanks to a huge hike in the police authority precept, which rose by 76 per cent. Now she has to deliver.

Ms Cannings admits that progress in all the changes she wants to bring in has not been smooth. Yet she does appear determined to make a difference and should be given a chance to prove herself.

Putting more officers on the beat - in Acomb and throughout her patch - may not solve all crime problems. But it would go a long way towards reassuring residents, especially the elderly.

Updated: 12:12 Friday, September 05, 2003