Forget useless police and get a dog instead
It is unarguable that our police force – once the pride of our nation – is in decline. When I was robbed of my £200,000 watch collection and reported it to the police, I was informed that someone would come and see me the following day. That was three years ago and I’m still waiting.
Then one night, about a year ago, I saw a drunk hurling a brick at a jewellery-shop window. I dialled 999 and was greeted with a recorded voice inviting me to leave a message. Imagine if I was being attacked by someone with a knife. So bravo to Peter Hitchens for his perceptive article last week about the transformation of our friendly bobbies on the beat into ‘grim-faced armed cops’.
They are not so much a disgrace as a monumental disappointment. My advice? Forget the police and buy a dog. Simon Murray, London
I retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1992 as a chief inspector. During my time, I watched the steady decline in traditional policing which has led us to the sorry state we are now in.
When I joined, the force had some 19,000 officers. It now has 34,000. I accept there are now more specialist teams, but in my early days we filled every beat and patrol. Many older officers carried out clerical duties now done by civilian staff. The big question is: where have all the police officers gone? Non-policing commitments have been reduced to a minimum, yet street policing seems to be non-existent. There seems to be more concern about upsetting people than getting the job done. I doubt I could serve nowadays in the force I loved for over 30 years. Ian MacFarlane, Bromley, Kent
Once again Peter Hitchens launches a sneering diatribe against police, referring to armed police officers as ‘swaggering’ and ‘gunmen’. These officers put their lives on the line to protect us from dangerous criminals and terrorists and, by so doing, imperil their own liberty should they have to ‘pull the trigger’. The subsequent legal procedures could last ten years, with the end result possible imprisonment. If Peter Hitchens believes this ‘scowling army of the state’ has lost public support, he should look at the latest public trust ‘Veracity Index’ where police have scored 74 per cent; remarkable considering their primary role is enforcement. Chris Hobbs, London
When a major incident occurs, the first thing police chiefs seem to do is put out unapproachable armed officers wearing balaclavas. We would just like to see normal policing, with identifiable officers communicating with the public. Ian Walton, Bridgwater, Somerset
The police are always moaning they don’t have enough funding or officers, yet it would seem policing a Royal Wedding is not a problem. It has been reported this event cost £30million, with hundreds of officers ensuring a ‘ring of steel’. It’s a shame police cannot provide a ring of steel around our cities to prevent people being shot or stabbed to death. A. McGrath, Wallingford, Oxford