THE EDITOR, Sir:

Following the recent reports of horrific rapes, I have read anecdotal reports of other frequent rapes taking place.

I understand that the press and police do not report all rape cases in an attempt to shield the victims. The downside of this, however, is that we live in ignorance of the areas where rapists are active.

If I knew, for instance, that in X community women are frequently being raped, I would exercise extreme caution and know what to look for. Several different scenarios of the modus operandi come to mind: at gunpoint, by men posing as drivers of disabled vehicles, by women's cars being forced off the road by cars, by men posing as taxi drivers, men breaking into houses, men dragging female pedestrians into their cars, etc.

As it is, it is only by word of mouth or rumour that one hears of these things.

I am pleading with the police and press to release some data - at least the statistics - on the types of rapes reported and the areas in which they occur so that we women (and the men that care about us) at least can be even more vigilant than usual in those circumstances.

C. MAYE-HEMMINGS

mayehemmings@aol.com

Kingston