PC Steve Williams (Yours Truly, Aug 3) seems to think that I am the only critic of the police.

He may not understand why the police force is so unpopular with the public, or he may prefer to hide behind the old clich of there not being enough cash. The harsh fact is that all public services, including the police, are under close public scrutiny.

If the police solve only five per cent of car crimes, and fail to bother going after many other criminals, is it any wonder that citizens don't bother to report crimes. That is why the Government has recently called for more accurate ways of collecting statistics.

I wish that PC Williams had replied to my earlier comments about waste and inefficiency. But perhaps he doesn't think that this matters. However, Mike Huby, the Manchester area representative of the Police Federation, has spoken on the media about the gross misuse of money that could otherwise go to officers on the beat.

And, just in case PC Williams thinks that the waste only refers to buildings and administration, or even compensation to the people who have been wrongly convicted, then perhaps he could answer the following question:

Does he support the officers who want compensation for the alleged traumas suffered while they were on duty at the Hillsborough and Dunblane tragedies? Two Scottish policewomen are claiming a reported £800,000, while the parents of the Dunblane children received only token amounts.

This kind of greed has been condemned not only by the families of the victims but by many other members of the emergency services. But so far, to my knowledge, no member of the police has condemned this venal attitude.

COP THAT