YOU would think if anywhere was safe, it would be the tranquil surroundings of York's Museum Gardens on a bank holiday afternoon.

Think again. Private security guard Kenny Wyatt needed five stitches in his arm after being stabbed in broad daylight as he tried to expel two drunken thugs from the park.

It was 2pm on Easter Monday: a time when the gardens would have been at their busiest as crowds of holidaymakers flocked there to enjoy York at it's most beautiful.

The message this ugly and violent incident sends out to visitors who come here from all over the world could not be worse. Sadly it is not the first time it has happened.

Mr Wyatt works for F1 Security, a firm hired by the Yorkshire Museum and Gallery Trust to patrol the gardens in order to deal with aggressive beggars.

Last October we reported how John Reynolds, another of F1's Security Guards, had been attacked twice while patrolling the gardens: and not by beggars, but by drug dealers and users. Once he was stabbed with a syringe; another time attacked with a piece of wood. Nevertheless, it seemed then that using security guards to patrol the gardens was working.

Complaints about beggars, drunks and drug users stopped completely after they were brought in.

This week's incident is an ugly reminder that not all of the problems may have gone away.

While employing private guards to patrol the park may have helped, people such as Mr Wyatt, - a 24 year old from Goole who had only worked for F1 for three weeks - should not have to put their lives at risk.

Perhaps it is time for the police once again to crack down on the louts who are spoiling our most beautiful park for everyone.

Updated: 10:37 Thursday, April 24, 2003