Last night a close friend rang in a panic because she heard noises outside her Lambton house. Her partner and oldest child were out at a show and she was home with her little girl. So imagine her shock when she opened the front door to see a man passed out on her verandah. First she rang the police and then she rang her partner, who was still an hour away. We stayed in contact with her while she waited. Her partner beat the police, who evidently never arrived, and he woke up the man who was hostile towards him. So thankfully this story has a happy ending but it really could have ended differently. When alcohol (or I guess drugs too) are involved, things can get unpredictable and when you're a woman on her own with a child in the house, it just makes things even more tense. Newcastle is a relatively safe place to live, but I'd urge everyone to still ensure that your doors are locked.