These are the toughest stories to write. Really.

Dave Robinson is a young CSO in the city centre. He's 28-years-old, is engaged to be married and his girl is expecting their first child.

He also has a number of 'aggressive' tumours.

I've written a couple of stories about Dave's situation over the past month or so and been struck - not for the first time - by the way people in the police 'family' stick together.

It's also clear he is surrounded by a loving bunch of family and friends.

There's loads of fundraising going on right now because there is a treatment available in the US which could help him.

I also hear well-wishers' letters and cheques are arriving at Mansfield House police station in the city centre at a steady rate.

He's just so young.

Writing stories about seriously nasty crimes can be hard sometimes, but I get by.

I'd forgotten how tough it is writing about someone who is very poorly.

This picture above shows Dave meeting Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson the other week. The club were great hosts, particularly the man they call 'Birch'.

If you want to read more of Dave's story and to make a donation to the £100,000 appeal go to:

www.davidleerobinson.co.uk

There is also a huge group on Facebook. Visit that too.

Sorry I should have posted this information a few weeks back, but keeping this blog as up to date as it should be has been a bit of a struggle just recently.

Apologies, this is an elongated harumph.

I just wrote up a short witness appeal from a police press release - and then asked myself why I'd bothered.

Here's the release (from the force's website) in all its glory:

Police are appealing for witnesses after an elderly woman’s bag was stolen as she shopped for food.

The incident happened late last month on Friday January 22 at about 10.50am, while she was shopping at a supermarket in Humberstone Gate.

The 71-year-old victim believes that her bag was taken from her trolley as she was shopping in the bread aisle.

The bag is described as a brown reusable bag which contained a smaller bag and a black zip up leather handbag. Inside the handbag were keys, some cash, some bank cards and an umbrella.

PC Heather Brown, the officer, investigating the incident, is appealing for anyone with information about the theft, those responsible or the current whereabouts of the bag to contact her.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact PC 4598 Heather Brown on Leicester (0116) 222 2222, follow the instructions to leave a message for an officer and when prompted key in his identification number 4598. Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers free* and anonymously on 0800 555 111.

* Some mobile phone providers may charge for this call

Two things struck me.

How about you?

Well, it happened a month ago and the supermarket isn't named.

Has the lady only just reported this to the police?

Possible and not uncommon.

My gripe here is the "supermarket in Humberstone Gate" bit.

Has the company concerned told the police not to name the store?

I think they probably have - even though we can all make a pretty good guess which shop we're talking about here.

This is happening a lot just lately and it's becoming a major harumph point for me.

Apart from the most serious cases, the police ask permission before naming businesses in witness appeals.

Victims - robbed shopkeepers, assaulted clubbers and the like - deserve anonymity and we give it to them routinely and willingly where the crime is so grave that their best interests are not served by being identified.

But big shops where thefts occur or bars where people get punched or glassed are in no conceivable way victims and, in my book, should be named.

The purpose of a witness appeal is to generate information for the police investigation.

On a good day the criminals get caught as a result of a good call to police.

As a reporter my heart sinks when I have to call up a big business.

They are self-serving sorts to say the least and, in most cases, run a mile when I ask for their help.

Do I have to mention Tesco again at this point?

Why can't the police toughen up and tell businesses "our priority is to find witnesses and criminals, not to worry about your reputation"?

UPDATE:
As I suspected, this Humberstone Gate supermarket appeal isn't going anywhere near the paper.

My name is Ciaran, I search the internet for people in uniforms.

I've added a few police blogs to the 'who I'm reading' list on this site.

I found them by running 'police blogs UK' through Google.

I've not had time to read them too closely, although I've scanned a couple of them quickly and they seemed pretty funny.

It's all very day to day observations in the style of David Copperfield - the original police blogger, now apparently living in Canada.

I didn't spot any references to my kind in the couple of articles I read in this handful of blogs.

I'd love to know what they and other police officers make of us reporters.

What are police officers thinking when I ring up asking (or on occasions, begging) for a story or a bit of guidance?

If any of you want to chip in with answers to that I'd love to hear.

Answer came there none - part III. Or is it part IV?

Still waiting for the Tesco press office to come back to me.

Harumph.

This is as complete a case of "declined to comment" as I have ever come across.

If our code of practice allowed, I'd start calling these corporate press offices claiming to be from the Daily Mail or the News at Ten.

Then I might get an answer.

It's time to move on I think.

One of my heroes is back.

This is nothing at all to do with the police, the Merc or even Leicester.

Gil Scott-Heron is back on record after more than 15 years.

It seems he's been in and out of prison. Drugs-related a lot of it.

I'd often wondered where he was and, frankly, whether he was still with us.

Mind you there are one or two older street drinkers I've got to know over the years here who I haven't seen for some time.

Where are they? Have they come through the winter freeze unharmed?

Anyway, at least one 60-year-old who's had erm, 'substance misuse issues' is back with us for sure.

I'm away to town later to buy his new record.

UPDATE:
It's a record and a half.

The Tesco press office - answer came there none.

Clearly, I'm at the back of the queue when it comes to the Tesco press office.

Going back to the strong cider and lager story from a few days ago.

I know, I know. I'm tired of it too now, but I should update it.

The offending items have been taken off the shelves at the London Road Tesco Express.

Fair enough.

But what about an explanation from the company?

I want to tell the readers whether they broke the terms of the licence through oversight or cyncism.

I said a couple of days ago that we had no co-operation from the company's press office on the original story.

I hate writing "so and so was not available to comment", but I had to.

Often the missing people are those the journalist most needs to hear from.

You know, a bit of an explanation, context or even an apology.

Oh well.

They do seem to be in the news a lot though don't they?

Maybe the press office is overloaded but is working something up for me and I'll hear from them in due course.

There are criminals and there are criminals.

This is Anthony Wayne Jesson. He robs elderly women in their homes.

His speciality is cutting their telephone wires and threatening them with knives and hammers.

One lady, Rosie Coates, was tied up, despite the intense pain it caused her. Arthritis, you see.

Your body gets that way when you're down your 80s.

Mrs Coates died a few weeks ago, so we'll never know if she would have taken some comfort from knowing Jesson is facing a long spell in prison.

Doris Brown, also well into her 80s, was shoved to the ground when she found Jesson in her home, rooting through her possessions.

She ended up with a broken arm.

She doesn't go out on her own anymore and hasn't been sleeping well ever since.

I spoke to Doris' family a day or so after this happened to her, in November 2008.

I remember clearly this little detail.

They told me that Jesson calmly stepped over Doris on his way out of her home, completely oblivious to her pain.

A 78-year-old man also had the misfortune to cross paths with Jesson, who's from Collett Road, Beaumont Leys. We didn't manage to speak to him or his family for tomorrow's story.

A full report of his Jesson's trial at Leicester Crown Court is in tomorrow's paper. He will be sentenced next month.

The detectives involved in the case investigate some of the nastiest crimes. Speaking to them they were clearly as shocked as any of us.

Some dropped into the court this week to watch proceedings, even though they've moved on to new roles.

We're told some Leicester's criminals are deeply unimpressed with Jesson's methods.

As his trial unfolded this week - yes, he denied the crimes - some pretty tasty looking fellas were taking it all in.

That could be interesting.