AS our police force is always keen to remind us, there is often a sharp difference between levels of crime and fear of crime.

Compared to most of the rest of the county, and the country at large, Halstead is a relatively safe place where terrible things thankfully rarely happen.

That said, there have been several incidents recently, particularly of town centre businesses being targeted by burglars and robbers.

Just For Men barber owner Karen Clarke’s suggestion of widening Trinity Street’s pact to share information about suspicious behaviour is sensible.

A Town Team proposal for everyone to have walkie talkies or mobile phones did not see the light of day because of the costs involved.

While there’s no need to turn the town into Fort Knox — that would be a waste of money — there are simple steps that would help if everyone worked together.