IT IS easy to understand the frustration of residents in a York street who feel their lives are being blighted by drug dealers.

All too often residents seemingly can be left at the mercy of a criminal minority who appear to carry on their illegal activities without interference from the law.

Although this may appear to be the case, especially to people who live near known drug dealers, taking any form of vigilante action is fraught with potential dangers.

So while residents of the Welborn Close area in Tang Hall who have launched a name and shame leaflet campaign against alleged drug dealers may feel they have a strong case, they should proceed with caution.

Any vigilante activity, even indirect action such as this, carries a risk. There is a danger of inflaming an already sensitive situation - as well as the possibility that someone who finds their picture published in this manner could take legal action.

Naming and shaming in the community is certainly a powerful form of punishment. Those who live with crime often know the culprits or, at least, feel certain they do.

By taking hold of the situation and printing the finger-pointing leaflets, local people are, on one level, acting in a community-minded way. They are doing something for themselves when they feel, rightly or wrongly, that the official law enforcement bodies are not getting the job done.

Yet they are also attempting to step into a situation that should be dealt with by the police. It would be wiser for anyone who feels they have information about a crime to contact the police, rather than taking action themselves.

Police activity may be going on behind the scenes about which residents have no knowledge.

And it is also possible that by intervening in this manner, the anonymous name-and-shame brigade could hinder the police.

However, it is still possible to feel sympathy for residents who believe they must do something to regain their lives.

Updated: 11:07 Wednesday, June 25, 2003