It beggars belief that the police, the emergency service of first resort, the organization that most of us turn to as our saviours when we're in trouble, should have let down this young family in such an appaling and unforgiveable way.

No wonder the there's no respect for the police any more.

Win Jones, Wrexham,

If it was the Chief Constables house then you may have seen a few dozen police vans, may'be a helecopter or two just to impress the locals.
No doubt an inquiry will put the fear up any intruder, as always!!
It's all a bit like "The Life of Brian" What did the Police ever do for us.
Brian!!

Brian, Manchester, England

They deserve more than an apology Mr Burton . Seriously ... what are the Police for ?

Benzo , Nr Chelmsford,

Surely the basis on which ordinary citizens do not have guns is that the police are there to protect us? That is the contract. That contract has been broken by the police, therefore ordinary citizens should once more have the right to carry guns.

Martin, Newmarket, Suffolk

If he had reported that there was no tax on the car the police would have been there in seconds.

Colin Boyles, Banbury, Oxon

Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime?

Obviously not.

MarkS, Leeds,

Perhaps the unfortunate victim was unaware that the policeforce would have mobilised truckloads of officers if he had muttered the words: racist attack: homophobic attack or the fact that the villains were 75 year old pensioners.

jinette bond, morecambe, england

What we need are roadside 'BURGLAR' cameras and 'ROBBER' cameras then our hard pressed understaffed police can sit at the station witth heir feet up drinking tea while doing their mountains of paperwork to show the home secretary how good they are at taking photos.

Shelly, Durham, Co Durham

What would you do if you were confronted in the street by jobs who demanded your valubles etc, and then possibly attack you for the fun of it, would you defend your self with a stick, a weapon of sorts, say a knife, or would you hope that a passer by might see what was happening and call the police.

victor arram, westcliff,

I have heard the best way to get a response is to tell them you are being robbed but not to hurry over as you have a gun and will shoot them all. They will soon rush over to arrest you.

Paul, Andover,

This is an all too familiar story in the UK if you live in the countryside. Our nearest Police station is an hours drive away. In a recent fatal RTA in our town it took the Police 90mins to get there and the ambulance 45mins. The Air Ambulance is now a familiar sight.

Bry Barnes, Somerset, Uk

If the police cannot guarantee an immediate response to people being attacked in their own home, then the LAW SHOULD BE CHANGED to allow people to keep weapons at home for self defence.

Andrew Brown, derby, uk

However, on the bright side, there were a number of speeding cars stopped and their drivers given tickets, so it's not all bad.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

So long as the burglers didn`t break the speed limit or drop a cigarette end while making their getaway, then the Police aren`t really bothered. If he wanted a prompt attendance then he should just have said he was going to slap one of them. Their priority is to keep the law abiding law abiding.

Jim, Herts,

Like the old story, they should have rang back and told police its ok because they have shot all the burglars. They police would have been there in seconds!

Pete, St Albans, England

And we wounder why our children feel the need to use guns to protect them self.

This reminds me of the story the other year when one man was told the police where to busy to come out so he rang back and said they had a gun, to which promplty the police turned up.

Mr W Jones, Liverpool, England

This does not suprise me at all, All the police seem to have been taken off the beat and off the road in favour of speed cameras

marcus, horndon on the hill, uk

Given the response by the police is it now acceptable to use force to defend your home in the understanding you are on your own?

Disgusting, the police are there to protect and not just give out speeding tickets.

joe, Edinburgh, Scotland

It would be reasonable to hypothesize that the local police are in on the crime.

James, London, UK

As a retired US police chief , I am amazed at this story. We would have found officers to send to such a cime in progress. In our department, investigators and administrative officers would have responded, along with regular patrol officers. Prioritization is key. Are any adults in charge there?

Terry L. Walker, Ladson, SC / USA