I live in Liverpool,and i have to say that crime rate here is very high especialy between young generation,my car been vandalised 3 times in 1 year,police just doing too much paper work,cant believe that Liverpool is going to be European Capital of Culture 2008,something must be done, whole generation is wasted!!!!!!!!

Sam, Liverpool , Merseyside

when I heard of the robbery my first thought was 'why didn't Steve Gerrard hire a security firm to patrol the house when he was away'????? He must have seen a pattern as it was so very 'bleedin obvious' so why leave his wife and children at risk? I like Steve Gerrard but maybe all footballers are thick.

michael Martin, nice, france

As the police do an appalling job on the whole they REALLY need to market themselves. As an emergency service they seem to come between Pizza Hut and Interflora, at least THEY turn up

Ken Wyatt, Todmorden, uk

Private security?

Angus, London,

If the wives of the thieves had read the article in closer what does that make them, Swags maybe?

Anthony, London,

I would like to pose a question to Martin Samuel. Why do you not like the citizens of Merseyside? It is a common theme in your articals that you seem to make what I believe are sometimes offencive stereotipical comments? You seem to be the Jeremy Clarkson of sport authors. Oh, now I've done it, I'm now a hipocrytical stereotype!

Jonathan Williams, Winchester, Hampshire

I don't think this artical is either fair to the Gerrard family at all. Firstly I though that the Gerrard family were the victums in this. Alex and her children don't deserve to be robbed because they flash around watches. No one deserves to be robbed whether they have millions or just the clothes on there skin because I get the impression that the author is saying 'well thats karma, she flashes watch, gets robbed.' Secondly, this is a similar point to what Mark (Southampton) wrote. Gerrard has not inherrited tallent and gone and used it without effort and hours of work. He has trained and spent hours of work into what he does. In his autobiography it is writen that he got a garden fork through his foot when he was 10. He has suffered pain and all sorts to get his salary. Yes I do admit it is exagerated wildly but if UK clubs capped all footballers salarys, players would move to different clubs abroad.

Jonathan Williams, Winchester, Hampshire

NEKP: have you visited Formby recently??? or ever???

EB, Manchester,

What are we suggesting here, every time Liverpool play away Merseyside Police should increase its resources in and around the footballers dwellings? Will they do the same for me and mine when we go away for the weekend? No they won't nor for any of the other residents of the county. It's a terrible crime whether it be Alex Curran or Mrs Jones in the Dingle but she and her ilk don't deserve special treatment because she's a celeb [I use that word in its loosest terms]. To increase resources in and around the homes of these footballers means depleting them elsewhere. If they want extra protection let them pay for it at 'private cost' rates and not at the expense of the taxpayer. Or maybe they can make do with PCSO's like the rest of us mere mortals. They're the future in case you have'nt guessed it and that's where the £30m that the Home Secretary has saved will go, not on extra Police Officers.

Paul, Wirral, Merseyside

The players used to live in Gayton, Burton and Caldy on the Wirral. If I were them I would go back to those areas. The advantages of these areas is that they are a little harder for thieves to get to (no direct bus routes from Liverpool!). The added advantage is that it would be a little harder to distinguish which home belongs to whom. Most people in these areas have the funds for this type of lifestyle so a footballer doesn't stand out. Formby is not the same area as Gayton or Caldy. Having grown up in Gayton, most of my friends had cartier or rolex watches given to them when they turned 21 (I am 27 now). We all wore them when in the area and when we did venture to Liverpool (very rare occurance) we wore a cheap casio. The motto we shared was - if it isn't nailed down don't expect to come home with it. I love Liverpool but the idea of property rights has yet to reach this part of the world.

NEKP, Hoboken, NJ

I wish that you along with many of your colleagues would not presume to speak for the nation by stating what 'we' want. You only have limited knowledge of what other people's opinions are and it is wrong of you to assume otherwise.

Les Lawson, Woking, Surrey, England

"a self governing Crown dependency?" Would that be the same
Island that permitted the Government of the United Kingdom to
use parts of it as an internment camp for UK aliens in 1940?

David, Morpeth, UK

At least the police turned up eventually. 'Ordinary' people like us will be given an incident number so that we can claim on our insurance and left to our own devices.

Mikey, Bromley, Kent

The rich have a moral responsibility not to showboat. Then again, paying people £120,000 a week to kick a football is the sign of a society seriously out of balance. Free market or not. Hopefully the 'WAGS' will now review their repulsive conduct.

Stuart, Manchester, England

Saying that you have a 10k watch in the house is like waving a red flag to a bull. stan white, leeds

How exactly is that Stan? Is it not a matter of common sense that wealthy people are likely to have expensive items at home?

Richard , Jersey, CI,

If they did catch the thieves they would get away with a relatively small punishment or even get off scot free, so what's the use? (cross reference with the - somewhat hidden - story in today's paper regarding the five lads who were found guilty of the manslaughter of Ernest Norton and were freed yesterday - that's British justice for you).

John Tomlinson, Brentwood, UK

I dont think public opinion matches the headers you've mentioned from the two rags... rags being almost the appropriate word. The impression I have of Gerrard, is a well spoken player and humble - probably the best there is and very unlike his Chelsea/ManUtd counterparts. This is a terrible crime and the police should be ashamed that they don't have a clue whats going on. Would it be wrong to suggest the attitude of the local force is maybe reflected in the papers...? Jealousy is a terible thing! Gerrard should have ate more pies when he was younger, then he could have got a job in the force and complained about not earning enough rather then dedicating himself to a life of fitness and limited social evenings to achieve his (many) goals...

Mark, Southampton, UK

The real story-behind-the-story here is that a young woman and three small children were completely unable to defend themselves against armed, violent intruders. As is known, the police have no obligation to defend individuals : how soon before thoughtful, erstwhile law-abiding people take quiet steps to provide themselves with realistic means of self-protection for their lives and property ?

H. Dobson, Portsmouth, UK

"If you have a 10k watch in the house is like waving a red flag to a bull"

Exactly the point the author was trying to make.
If you want something in this life, don't work for it; don't accept you might never get it.
Go and take it from someone who has it.

What a civilised culture.

P, singapore,

Chav is as chav does. Chav brags about watch, chav is relieved of watch. Thieving chav sells watch to fencing chav. Thieving chav gives money to dealing chav. Dealing chav pays hard-working chav to stone-clad his slum. Hard-working chav coughs up dosh to pay ludicrous wage of chav husband of bragging chav. Hey presto! A whole chav economy. Isn't pond life fascinating?

Bob, Liverpool, England

I am glad she is physically ok and my best wishes go out to both her and steven , no one deserves that no matter what their financial background . Hopefully the police will finally get its act together and actually take this problem seriously , or maybe it will take a sexual assault or severe battery to make them take notice , these things normally bottom out at the the worst case senario before the powers that be decide to do anything , and I dont think we have reched that point yet . Go and get a couple of attack dogs steve and invest in decent security , but by now you won't need me to advise this

dave t, liverpool, uk

I think they'll find that 100% of people think that the police should stop wasting taxpayers money on pointless marketing (as if there's any other kind) and use the funds to employ proper police officers and pay them decently.

Phil, London, UK

"we would turn the Isle of Man into one big Guantanamo Bay" the isle of man is a self-governing Crown dependency and is not part of the United Kingdom. so good luck with that

iliveontheisleofman, isle of man, isle of man

Saying that you have a 10k watch in the house is like waving a red flag to a bull.

stan white, leeds, wngland