Soldiers on the street must clearly understand the limits of their powers
SIR – The Government has quite rightly responded to a request from the civil powers for armed military support at certain venues.
Recent events have shown that our soldiers need a clear understanding of the rules of engagement (when they can use lethal force) and of what other powers they have.
Should they have limited powers of constabulary (like those under the Emergency Provisions Act in Northern Ireland), giving them “powers of search” and the lawful right to ask for names and addresses?
In an ideal world a police officer will accompany armed soldiers, but this cannot be guaranteed.
John Marchant
Banbury, Oxfordshire
SIR – Election campaigning has been suspended; there are troops on the streets. The Government is saying: “Don’t panic; we’ll do it for you”.
Blair Noonan
Birmingham
SIR – Military aid to the civil power, armed if necessary, in maintaining law, order and public safety, has been there for centuries. Most cities still have barracks convenient to their centres – in London within marching distance of major sites.
Tragically, successive governments’ cuts over 30 years have left our Armed Forces dangerously short of trained personnel to meet their defence commitments, let alone civil support. Commander Alan York RN (retd) Sheffield, South Yorkshire
SIR – In March we heard that the security services had prevented 13 terror attacks in four years, showing the vital value of these services.
Homeland security must now be a national priority. If it takes extra resources to monitor more of those deemed a “low risk”, the Government must provide these resources.
Dr John Marr
Hundon, Suffolk
SIR – Listening to Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, being interviewed on Radio 4, I had a terrifying thought. In a fortnight’s time our national security could be in the hands of Diane Abbott.
Stuart Griffiths
Portsmouth, Hampshire
SIR – I can’t help thinking that had the Government not reduced the number of police officers by thousands, then we might not have needed the Army on the streets.
P H Adwick
Caunton, Nottinghamshire
SIR – On the railway, passengers are frequently reminded to “inform a member of staff if you see anything suspicious” – yet the Department for Transport plans to push ahead with driver-only operation, removing the guarantee that a second member of staff will be on the train, available to the public while the driver drives.
Guards are trained in railwayspecific safety procedures. They can liaise with the control room and, if necessary, the emergency services.
Charles Allen
Marford, Flintshire
SIR – It would be refreshing if the Government would demonstrate some genuine action in the wake of the Manchester atrocity. Vigils, flowers and candles achieve nothing.
As a start, I suggest that internment be introduced for all individuals who are on a security service watch list, or under suspicion of any involvement in terrorist activity.
Secondly, there should be withdrawal of British citizenship and the right to return for any individual who has left the country for jihad.
Simon Millar
Poole, Dorset
SIR – Reports that Salman Abedi, the Manchester bomber, had recently returned from Libya make grim reading.
In 2011, a military coalition, led by Britain, France and the United States, attacked Colonel Gaddafi’s forces, leading to his overthrow and death.
Libya is now a failed state where armed movements, including Isil and al-qaeda, compete for power. The intervention in Libya was hailed as a success for the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine, endorsed by all member states of the United Nations.
Just whose rights were protected?
Dr John Doherty
Vienna, Austria
SIR – My deep anger at the attack in Manchester is being fuelled by those who have taken this opportunity to sing the praises of “diversity”.
The killer was a perfect example of diversity. Born in this country to refugee parents, he was raised and educated here, yet had no shred of loyalty or even gratitude.
E C Coleman
Bishop Norton, Lincolnshire
SIR – Haras Rafiq (Comment, May 24) endeavours to explain the way forward after the utterly appalling acts in Manchester.
However, like almost all Muslim writers and those interviewed on television, he refers to the “British Muslim community”. While this idea of a separate community continues, there will never be integration.
When we lived in Benghazi in the Seventies, my husband worked for an Arab company; we lived in an ordinary street, our children played with the children of our Arab neighbours and we attended the wedding of the daughter of the family across the road, as well as other parties.
When in Rome, as the saying goes.
Mary L Wylie
Manaton, Devon
SIR – Why do we perpetuate the falsehood that Islamist terror has nothing to do with Islam, when those who carry out the attacks usually self-identify as Muslims and act in the name of their faith?
Apart from anything else, this does a disservice to those within the Muslim community fighting for a tolerant modern interpretation of the faith.
Andrew Brown
Allestree, Derbyshire
SIR – Muslim clerics must make clear to their communities that suicide bombers go to hell for their despicable deeds.
Brian Hammond
Wimborne, Dorset
SIR – Perhaps the greatest insult to casualties of the Manchester bombing, particularly the girls and young
women killed and maimed, is that, all over Britain, sharia courts are currently sitting and dispensing “justice”, predominantly to women.
These courts are run by men whose only qualifications to pass judgment are their gender, their advanced age and their knowledge of religious texts. Prejudice against girls and women is inherent in these rulings. A daughter cannot inherit equally with a brother; a divorcing wife cannot seek custody of children or move away with them.
Theresa May has shown little interest in banning sharia. It is astonishing it was ever permitted in this country. It must end now and anyone attempting to impose sharia judgments must face the full weight of British law.
Stephen Connor
Warrington, Cheshire
SIR – Why, if Mrs May wants better integrated communities, is she so set on increasing the number of selective, divisive faith schools which will only serve to increase segregation?
Dorothy Walton
Charlton Marshall, Dorset
SIR – In a Facebook posting on the Manchester bombings, Morrissey says that everyone in Britain seems petrified to say what we all say in private – but still he doesn’t say it.
Paul Wenman
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
SIR – The citizens of Manchester would do well to treat with circumspection Jeremy Corbyn’s condemnation of the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
This is the man who supported the terrorist gangs of Hamas and Hizbollah, embraced Gerry Adams at Westminster as a “freedom fighter”, and saluted IRA murderers as “brave”.
Days ago, when questioned over and over, he refused to condemn the atrocities of the IRA, which included the bombing of Manchester’s own Arndale Centre in 1996.
Manchester does not need his platitudes. He’d do well to keep silent.
Paul Strong
Claxby, Lincolnshire
SIR – There were, as far as I can see, no images of the wounded on television broadcasts. This seems to play down the horror of the mass murder and life-changing injuries suffered mainly by young people.
Peter Richards
Poole, Dorset
SIR – It was another brilliant piece of journalism by Allison Pearson on Wednesday’s front page.
She really has her finger on the pulse of the nation, and her words echo the thoughts of the majority of decent people living in this country.
Barry L Cottle
Harpenden, Hertfordshire