Milkmen are well placed to act as the eyes and ears of the community. They are often out and about doing their deliveries when most law-abiding people are in bed asleep so it's easy for them to spot anyone behaving suspiciously.

Some milkmen might choose to turn a blind eye rather than risk complicating their lives by getting involved. Not so Sean Garvey, though. The Thackley father-of-three regularly calls the police to report something he has seen and has even tackled criminals himself.

He says that milkmen are like a night patrol, doing a lot of footwork and having plenty of local knowledge. He adds: "People tell us things and we see things. The more milkmen on the streets, the safer people and their homes would be" - echoing the very things that are said about police officers.

Given that the police apparently have such difficulty providing the scale of reassuring street presence that the public are constantly demanding, the sort of alternative which can be provided by conscientious milkmen is very important.

Mr Garvey takes his role very seriously, distributing copies of his newsletter The Bottle to warn customers and their friends and neighbours about potential problems from people like bogus window cleaners and canvassers and offering reminders on commonsense crime-prevention measures such as locking doors and windows properly and not leaving valuable items on display on windowsills.

It is, by any standards, a commitment considerably over and above the call of a milkman's duties. Mr Garvey is to be commended for the gold-top service he is providing voluntarily to the community.