We don't want to count our chickens before they're hatched, but let no one be in any doubt that the latest Crimestoppers statistics make very good reading indeed.

The figures for the six months from January to June are already pointing to what could ultimately be a record year for detection, arrests and the recovery of goods.

This newspaper therefore congratulates the police for the fine job they are doing.

Indeed, that thin blue line, stretched as never before by the threat of terrorism, is obviously well able to counter the everyday crimes that persist throughout our society.

But let no one be deluded into thinking that the police can do this job on their own.

Those days ended when PC George Dixon bowed out of Dock Green for the last time.

Happily, they are not alone. For it appears that the public is increasingly responding with more and better information about suspected offending.

The message is clear. As Crimestoppers supremo Steve Hill says, it is possible for the public to do something about crime without getting involved.

And the way to do this is by being alert in your neighbourhood. Watch out for strangers acting suspiciously... keep an eye on elderly neighbours, who can be particularly vulnerable.

In fact, to borrow from a certain Lord Kitchener, your country - and your community - needs you.