Advice for the Met

SIR – I quote from Lord Baden-powell’s Scouting for Boys: “He charged in, did his best, and finally succeeded in overcoming a difficulty… This is exactly the way in which a Scout should face a difficulty or danger, no matter how great or terrifying it may appear to him or how ill-equipped he may be for the struggle.”

Advice, perhaps, for one senior police officer.

John Curran

Bristol

SIR – I recently retired from the police, where I spent 30 years in mainly operational front-line roles, and Sir Craig Mackey’s actions seem reasonable to me.

He was not in possession of any weapon or protective equipment. If he had attempted to tackle Khalid Masood, there would have been only one outcome: another dead police officer and, consequently, another grieving family, another casualty for the emergency services to deal with, another victory for the terrorists. And for what? So that journalists could sit behind their desks in their nice offices and write about what a hero he was?

Sir Craig was advised by another officer present not to get out of the car, and that was good advice. Nothing would have been achieved if he had intervened: Pc Keith Palmer was already fatally wounded and no others were injured before Masood was killed. However, it seems that many people would be happier to have a dead hero than a copper who lived because he applied logic, training and experience to a situation in order to prevent it from becoming worse.

John Roberts

Cardiff

SIR – Sir Craig is the kind of person organisations promote when leadership is replaced by managerialism, common sense by guidelines and initiative by procedures.

I note that he is retiring soon, so will be immune to any sanctions and free to enjoy his knighthood and large pension. Not so Pc Keith Palmer’s wife and daughter.

Max Sawyer

Stamford, Lincolnshire

SIR – What must the members of the Metropolitan Police think when they realise they have a coward for a deputy commissioner?

Ian Carter

Lytham St Annes, Lancashire