IT is quite obvious that the 'flying white elephant,' the police helicopter, is being used for all kinds of minor offences in order to try and justify the enormous initial cost and round-the-clock manning.

Now that police cameras are positioned at motorway blackspots, there is no need for aerial observation, so its main purpose is obsolete.

I also question the use of mounted police in the town centre. Apart from looking very smart, what do they ever achieve? How can they ever apprehend anyone?

Once again, it is a classic example of enormous expense for very limited use. We want more police on the streets, not in the sky or on horseback.

J R UTTLEY, Bolton Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.