Prostitution, drugs, theft, graffiti - problems change, but the question remains the same: what are you going to do about it? "If my car is stolen, what's the guy going to get?" "Prostitutes stand on my street and men drive past asking me for sex. What are you going to do?"

Judge David Fletcher will soon begin offering answers from the bench of Britain's first community court. But first he must listen - like a novel blend of politician and law enforcer - to the problems of his 70,000 constituents.