Police priorities

sir – You report (December 27) that police will not investigate cases of shoplifting if less than £200 worth of goods have been stolen.

A few pages later, however, I read that the police have sufficient resources to investigate the potentially illegal death of a fox.

Does anyone else think there is something wrong with their priorities? Helen E Meyer

Ipswich, Suffolk

sir – During my 30 years’ service with the Metropolitan Police (which ended in 1991), a police station was a place where a member of the public could seek refuge, with between 10 and 12 officers on each shift.

Since then we have seen a substantial decrease in police stations and police numbers, despite a large increase in Britain’s population. Today it would be almost impossible for the average citizen to find a police station, let alone seek refuge. And when did you last see bobbies patrolling our suburban towns and villages?

It has become obvious that the Government has relinquished its policing responsibilities, and is only interested in spending money on ludicrous projects such as HS2. Brian Livings

Wells, Somerset