Jack Straw intends to "give back power to people in law-abiding communities" in the Crime and Disorder Bill.

Throughout the world and, particularly in Africa and the Third World, one can see examples of where this power is in the hands of communities.

Some of its elements are described in the Billie Holiday song - "Strange Fruit" on the trees in the form of "broken bodies" and the "sudden smell of burning flesh."

This is known as vigilantism, witch hunt, lynch law and mob rule.

It is likely that many of the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Bill, and the unofficial uses and opportunities for harassment, intimidation and victimisation so easily built on to them - such as the "outing" of malefactors and mere suspects and severe punishment beyond and after proper sentence - will now quickly and strongly lead us in this direction here.

Shelly writes in The Masque of Anarchy: "I met murder on the way with a face like Castlereagh."

Now, by that token, we meet lynch law with the face of Jack Straw and the Labour Party.

It will be the Pastor Niemoller concept of "and then they came for me."

G TOWNLEY, London School of Economics, Kingsway, London.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.