THE story of how Malvern dentist Rupert Parsons turned detective to track down his stolen motorbike harks back to the police work of what seem bygone days.

After talking to youngsters and knocking on doors, Mr Parsons successfully found his property, or what was left of it. The question is, if a member of the public can do this, why can't the police?

Have the days gone when the police any longer have the time or the manpower to walk the streets in search of stolen property?

Perhaps health and safety is an issue. No doubt the police would not advise people to do their own detective work in a place less safe than Malvern.

We are told crime is falling and police numbers are going up, certainly Malvern is a low crime area. Surely, here there is time for a little of what we might call "old-fashioned" police work. There's no question it's what the public would like to see.

The new neighbourhood wardens are part of the answer but they will never be a substitute in the public mind for a trained police officer.

Perhaps our society can never get back to the days when a gentle warning from a respected police officer was enough to sort out most situations, but a first step must be to get the officers back among the community they serve.