INVESTIGATIONS into the fear of crime often reveal that is way out of proportion to the actual level of offences in a particular area.

Rampaging, drunken mobs may not be descending on Ilkley every week, but as the recent survey has shown, this is the picture that nearly one-third of residents feel to be the case.

One would imagine that an affluent, pleasant tourist town in Lower Wharfedale would be free of street violence and loutish behaviour fuelled by cans of extra-strength lager.

But when residents feel that they are forced to form an ad hoc group, such as Parents Against Crime on the Streets, to protect our children from attack and injury we realise that the harsh reality is different.

The streets of Ilkley and the surrounding villages are not safe to walk in on certain nights - that is a fact.

This may not be a constant problem affecting law abiding citizens every week, but how are people supposed to react when they hear about so many incidents?

In the absence of a Night Watch to sound a siren when the streets are free of thugs, we just assume that it is not safe to go out and our fear locks us firmly behind closed doors.

The yobs don't even have to come to Ilkley to win the war against decent citizens; people just assume they are there on a Friday and Saturday night.

The police may be factually correct in stating the problem is not out of control as far as actual incidents are concerned, but it is the perception of a situation out of control which affects the behaviour of the majority of the area's population.

Whether it be extra police patrols, closed circuit televison cameras or concerned citizens acting as the eyes and ears of the law enforcement agencies, something needs to be done to address the situation and reverse the cycle of fear.

It's about time the yobs became afraid of Ilkley, rather than the other way round.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.