Idling police cars and poor air quality

WHILE I agree that air quality in London should be of concern to us all, I think it’s vital that our police officers have the tools to do their jobs properly. I would much rather officers keep their engines running if it means they have proper access to their onboard computers and are thus able to help victims of crime, rather than worrying about air quality. I AM a police officer in the UK but I come from another country. To reply to Phil Fletcher [Letters, August 13], I am also annoyed about police cars that are kept with engines running when stationary. The fumes can be really powerful, which drives me mad, but my colleagues don’t even smell it. Doing this shows an arrogant attitude to nature and the environment we live in. Sadly, my colleagues think I’m a hippie. The Government has a double whammy with British dairy farms closing, so it must be rubbing its hands in glee. First, we’ll be even more in thrall to its beloved Europe and, second, there will probably be lots of lovely new land to give away to developers. While I loved Rachel Johnson’s picture of a fox dozing on a window ledge [News, August 13], I was saddened by her comment that it was “hard to feel the same sense of rage” the animals apparently normally inspire in her. They are just creatures trying to survive and it’s we who have destroyed their natural habitat. Why should anyone feel rage against them? A couple of weeks ago I paid £135 for a seat to see Bette Midler at the O2. The man next to me spent the whole time filming the screened performance even though the “live” performers were only a couple of rows away from us. Why? Lovely article from Lucy Tobin [Comment, August 13], sparing a thought for the students who may not have achieved the stellar A-level results of their friends. Thank you.