I CANNOT believe police did not respond to the distressed phone calls of a young child who was being robbed by a group of yobs.

Surely it is the duty of the police to protect the vulnerable and that includes children.

How are we meant to teach them to trust the police when they just get the impression that the police force is there to protect only adults?

When they called for help, they were just told to leave the area. I get the impression that the call handler didn’t take their plight seriously.

But considering the underlying current of violence which has recently spilled over into stabbings in Essex, I would think that they should have been taken more seriously.

Children carry knives because they think it’s the only way to protect themselves.

NIGEL RIVERS

Grays