Letter: Causes of crime: a simplistic analysis that puts men in the dock

From Ms Krystyna Weinstein

Sir: Well done, Anna Coote. At last it's been said: the problem with crime is a problem with men. This must have become sickeningly obvious to any thinking and mildly aware person.

We are fed a diet of it daily in the news - these exploits of the male (by and large) of our species: sexual abuse and murder, abduction and murder, straight murder, rape, burglary, joy-riding, hooliganism.

But why not broaden Anna Coote's suggested line of enquiry to cover other forms of male violence, that aren't criminal and unlawful: power, control, authority; drunkenness; lack of respect for women; invasion of a woman's 'space' with wolf whistles and sexual innuendo; the put-downs and patronising attitudes; anti-social behaviour . . . and so one could go on.

Perhaps if we can begin to understand what beliefs drive males, we may be able to stem the ever- increasing male violence. Anna Coote's insight that men consider only themselves as people and others as sub-categories may be a first step in this understanding.

Yours sincerely,

KRYSTYNA WEINSTOCK

London, SW14

16 February