Met’s poor leadership

SIR – From the inquest into the death of Pc Keith Palmer we learnt that police firearms officers were “nowhere to be seen” for at least 46 minutes before the tragic event, because senior officers at the Metropolitan Police acquiesced to the wishes of MPS three years earlier that armed police should not be deployed at Parliament’s gates as they created a “bad atmosphere”.

We now discover that Sir Craig Mackey, the acting chief of the Met, locked himself in his car and watched the fatal attack. I served in the Metropolitan Police for 32 years and worked under some fine leaders, but towards the end they were very much in the minority. I can understand why he might have felt afraid, but Sir Craig should be ashamed of the fact that he did not even stay and try to help.

The Met should be embarrassed by such poor leadership and take steps with the Home Office to rectify the situation. The reduced number of officers who continue to risk their lives to protect us deserve far better. Clifford Baxter

Wareham, Dorset