Policing strategy

SIR – It will always be open to challenge to suggest that dealing with one sort of crime should take precedence over any other, but I will nevertheless endeavour to advocate this. Your article on the theft of a large section of the roof from our fire stat

SIR - It will always be open to challenge to suggest that dealing with one sort of crime should take precedence over any other, but I will nevertheless endeavour to advocate this.

Your article on the theft of a large section of the roof from our fire station reinforces my conviction that the focus of our law enforcement seems to be misjudged.This may be linked, in part, to the profligacy with which our government is using the police forces in the collection of revenue and secondly with its addiction to setting utterly meaningless targets - something that Joseph Stalin excelled in but, I trust, for very different reasons.

I must also point out that the police do an excellent job, and given more independence from politicians would almost certainly do an even better one.

Without methodical and frequent patrols by police officers, those among us who have little or no social conscience will be encouraged to continue to commit crimes that burden us all.

The need to revert to the hypothesis of prevention seems apposite. I would counsel a discontinuation of policing that may be associated with revenue generation, a diminution in expensive camera surveillance, as it simply is not effective in deterring crime nor in its prosecution, and costs a fortune, so that we can somehow put most police officers onto the streets.

More visible and effective patrolling, perhaps on foot, might just deter the sort of people that have reprehensibly stolen the roofing from Redbourn fire station.

JOHN DAVIE

Tassell Hall, Redbourn