John Fisher, of Beverley Gardens, Ashburton, writes:

Very few people forget, deliberately, to pay for their petrol and those that do, usually realise and make good their mistake.

I can see the police's view, that they have had swingeing cuts to their budget and with reduced numbers cannot deal with everything.

However, theft – the dishonest appropriation of property belonging to another, with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it – is not a civil, but a criminal offence, and therefore the remit of the police.

It is a frustrating crime to investigate, as many offences occur on trunk roads and the offender is usually several counties away, before the incident has been notified to patrols. With this decision a travelling criminal could motor the length and breadth of the country without paying for fuel.

When I travel on the Continent, I pay for my fuel first, a sensible measure, and one that would deter drive-offs, however, business needs to ensure it looks after its own property, and factor in investment in theft prevention methods.

Contrary to the Home Secretary's assertion that crime is falling, it is either not being reported, due in part to the public's acceptance that nothing will get done about it; changing, in that retail theft is now so easy to commit and together with fraud is seen as victimless; or, being misrecorded, as in the case of the theft of a bike in Gloucester, where the PC was told to record it as lost property. in the case of my sister's car being broken into, it was recorded as an RTC.

In reply to Mr Hext's statement: 'At the end of the day not paying for petrol is theft. I appreciate the police have got budget cuts, but what is it they're actually doing for us?' – you might well ask.

Ultimately the responsibility for policing lies with the Home Office, and we should bring our concerns to their attention through our elected Members of Parliament.