Over the past 12 months, two of my tenants, quiet, inoffensive gay students, have been attacked on separate occasions.

One ended up in hospital after five well-dressed 25-year-olds beat him up. The other was attacked twice, once escaping after running for his life near the West Pier and recently hit on the head with an egg.

Two other friends, walking down Marine Parade, were attacked from behind and robbed. Another was savagely facially scarred with a screwdriver and a well-respected antique dealer was murdered as he came out of a store in Hove. All this happened within the past 12 months and is just first-hand experience.

The answer is common sense. Get rid of Section 28 and make sure children, students, staff and parents are educated on the subject of homosexuality. Bring to book those influential people whose intemperate language encourages homophobia and racism, introduce really severe punishment for all physical attacks and give us back policemen on the beat.

I am sure I will be told there aren't enough funds to ensure quick-response police action, but this is rubbish. There is never any difficulty in finding extra funds to raise MPs' and councillors' salaries. However, the problem of street violence and homophobic attacks is more a problem of will power.

The police are doing their very best in an impossible situation. The blame is not on them - it rests fairly and squarely on new Labour at Westminster and local councillors, whose responsibility and ability it is to make these vital decisions.

-Name and address supplied