A RECENT development has taken place which, although at present affecting only the police, should greatly concern every employee in the country.

I refer to the decision by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that any police officer -- or civilian employee working for the police -- found to be a member of the BNP will face dismissal. The reaction of the public to this has been one of total apathy, yet adopting this attitude could be a grave mistake.

It is easy to be flippant and to say "it's only the BNP so who cares?" but this is to miss the point. What ACPO has done could be in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects an individual from being discriminated against on the basis of their political beliefs, and may set a precedent that in principle will give every employer in the country the right to dismiss any employee whose political views differ from their own.

Whether we approve, or disapprove, of the BNP's policies is irrelevant; they are a legally-constituted political party and ACPO has now taken upon itself to dictate to its employees which political party they can, or cannot, belong to.

So, in the near future, are we to have multi-national companies dismissing employees who are members of parties with socialist or anti-capitalist views, or local authorities dismissing employees who are members of a party that doesn't believe that all council properties and services should be in public ownership? We all, whatever our political persuasion, should now be very alarmed at what has happened to the BNP today, because it could happen to the rest of us tomorrow.

J. RENNIKER,

Radcliffe.