Bobbies on the beat: practical or sentimental?
SIR – I agree that we need to get more bobbies back on the beat (Leading article, April 22).
In 1990, as the operations commander for southeast London, I accompanied the inspector of constabulary on a tour of a very busy south London police station.
We arrived at about 3pm and discovered that, of the 40 uniformed constables rostered for the late turn that day, only 18 were on duty – including four manning the two patrol cars.
The subsequent report – while pointing out that none of the missing constables were “absent without leave” (they were merely on other duties) – recommended that at least 75 per cent of those rostered for a particular shift at all London divisions should actually be there. Sadly, nothing changed.
Some years earlier, while I was in charge of a busy London division, I had insisted on a minimum manning level for all shifts. This achieved a noticeable reduction in crime and significantly reduced the response
Hugh Blenkin Ashford, Kent
SIR – When I was a special constable – a voluntary role – I preferred shifts during which some event or other took place. Specials were not routinely trained to drive to incidents with blue lights flashing, so I often found myself on foot. This brought me great satisfaction, in that it allowed much more interaction with the public, for whom I was giving my time.
However, it was at odds with my desire for action, because most incidents required a vehicle to attend. Callers requesting a rapid police response were unlikely to be satisfied with the attendance of a heavily perspiring and out-of-breath officer.
Unfortunately, the British desire for nostalgia runs somewhat contrary to practicality.
David Bowring Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset