Police hypocrisy

THE revelation that 10 per cent of our police have the time and energy to take on a second job is an insult to those taxpayers who believed our bobbies were pushed to the limit.

The truth is that all ranks enjoy excellent salaries, with lucrative overtime arrangements and other benefits they don’t like to reveal. They enjoy job security many of us can only dream of, even when found guilty of behaviour that would result in a prison sentence for anyone else.

As a self-employed man of 25 years, I’ve always been closely monitored by HMRC, with the constant reminder that any deception in my tax affairs is punishable by a spell behind bars.

I trust that all police officers, whether they have declared second incomes or not, or know of colleagues who flout the law, will cooperate fully with HMRC when it investigates them with the same zeal it uses when pursuing everyone else.

I suggest this won’t happen because a succession of weak governments has allowed the police to believe they are untouchable. perhaps the police Federation will tell us how officers, who might themselves have abused tax laws, can be involved in prosecuting others who commit fraud? The words that come to mind are: hypocrisy, double standards and conflict of interest. CLIVE NELSON-SINGER,

Beare Green, Surrey.