The way law and order is administered in this country is at the top the agenda for most people. At least, that's the general impression. Just about everyone has a view about the way the police do their job and, more particularly, about how they could do it better.

Letter writers to this newspaper regularly complain about not enough officers on the beat, of long delays between calling the police and someone arriving, of police wasting time pursuing motorists when "real" criminals are going about their business knowing there is little chance of being caught... The list of grumbles goes on and on.

How puzzling and disappointing, then, that the West Yorkshire Police Authority has had to cancel a consultation meeting to which it had invited 400 representatives from Bradford businesses, voluntary organisations, faith groups and residents because so few people wanted to attend.

It is staggering that barely 30 people had accepted the invitation to next Monday's meeting at the Thornbury Centre and that a large number of others has not even bothered to do the police the courtesy of responding to say they would not be able to attend.

This was a meeting at which members of the Bradford community had a chance to tell the police what issues they want them to concentrate on, and the vast majority decided they couldn't be bothered.

What conclusion should the police draw from this? That the public generally are really happy with the way they are doing things? Or perhaps that there is a deep and worrying scepticism that in too many instances "consultations" seem to lead nowhere?