HOW predictable and how tiresome to see the police propaganda machine whirring into full scale action again in its quest to secure ever increasing council tax funding to subsidise its failings.

Lancashire Police Authority is turning into a bottomless pit of public funding. Never mind gobbling up increased funding from Central Government last year, it simultaneously "blagged" council tax payers for an increase of almost 20 per cent, whilst this year Chief Constable Paul Stephenson is asking for an increase in council tax funding of a further 28 per cent!

That's an increase in council tax support of almost 50 per cent in just two short years! In attempting to justify this feeding frenzy of public funding we are informed that 3,000 people in Lancashire have already been consulted.

Can I point out as one of those contacted, that the survey is shamefully worded to guide the public toward certain answers. Also in order to confuse and mislead the required amounts are always referred to in terms of "pence per week."

As an example: Question 12 "Would you be willing to pay an extra 43p per week (£22 per year) in 2004-5 to significantly improve the policing in Lancashire?" Without providing ANY further facts or figures to justify the term "significantly" the person being surveyed is then asked to tick one box from the following six options a. Very willing, b. willing, c. neither, d. unwilling, e. very unwilling, f. don't know. What a pity that there is no box 7 with an option of 'Who cares.'

Mr Stephenson says 500 extra officers are needed and that this would cost £17million over three years. Well what happens after those three years? Can we expect all these officers to either resign en masse or simply to become unpaid volunteers? I hardly think so.

Mr Stephenson and the Police Authority need to live in the real world. Who else would have the temerity to request a 50 per cent increase in funds and 15 per cent extra personnel to simply continue the job in hand? Is this in itself not a frank and irrefutable admission of failure by the Chief Constable? In my book it is! Shape up or Ship out guys.

May I also suggest, Mr Stephenson, that you turn your gaze inward and instead of asking the hard-pressed public for increasing amounts of what I prefer to as 'incompetence tax' the thorny issues of days lost to sickness, and early retirements enjoyed by members of your force need to be addressed first.

Maybe if this was done a 'significant improvement' may be seen in the performance of the police force with NO extra cost.

This latest grovelling plea does neither the police force nor its apparent sympathetic partner in crime the LET any favours whatsoever.

J HILL, Pleasington, Blackburn.