Capital crime wave? | ShelterBox Book Club | Port Vale shipping goals | Polytechnic revival | Betting shop gamble

We’ve just spent two weeks in London, staying in south Kensington (‘London has turned into something crazy’: is the city in the grip of a crime wave?, 11 October). The only crime we witnessed was being woken up in the early hours by people racing Lamborghinis and Ferraris, with little enforcement by the police. We travelled all over using public transport and walking, and felt safe, so I don’t think the supposed crime wave is anything to fear.
Fran Leach
Plymouth, Massachusetts, US

• If reading a book every month is too much (Letters, 12 October), you can join the ShelterBox Book Club, where you get a book in the post every six weeks, and being a member helps ShelterBox support disaster-hit families around the world. There are also online discussions and author Q&As.
Sally Smith
Redruth, Cornwall