I LIVED and worked in the Newtown area during the 1990s and still return regularly for social reasons. 

I always buy a copy of the County Times but, on occasions, it makes pretty dismal reading. 

For example, in the 25th October copy, the news included reports on the following; drink driving, drunk and disorderly behaviour, threatening behaviour, an attempt to head-butt a police officer, assault on a police officer, drug offences, dumping numerous bags of cannabis waste, a police dispersal order having to be issued for anti-social behaviour in a particular part of the town, an arrest for carrying a knife, large scale shop thefts and a conviction for assault and beating. 

OTHER NEWS:

All this, for a town with a population of only 11,300. 

It strikes me that some of the busiest people in the town will be the local solicitor, the probation service and, of course, the police.

A local community police officer once told me that the only reason they were able to “keep a lid on things” at the weekend was because of the large police station near the town centre. 

Border towns such as Carlisle and Berwick have reputations for wild and often lawless behaviour. I hope that Newtown is not going the same way.
David S. Ainsworth, Denton, Manchester