Abysmal performance by the police

I REFER to the letters (The Yorkshire Post, September 16) concerning the police in South Yorkshire.

My wife and I endorse the views of your correspondents as our own experiences confirm. We have over the years suffered three burglaries, an attempted car jacking (my wife), common assault (myself) and financial fraud.

The response from South Yorkshire Police in each case has been abysmal. They do not even follow their own charter when dealing with victims of crime and you would, in our experience, be more likely to get an audience with the Pope than a meeting with a senior officer, much less a chief constable.

Shaun Wright has done nothing to rectify the serious shortcomings in the police force and prevent senior officers working the system in our experience for their own ends. Unfortunately, I have little doubt that any successor will follow in the same mould.

I note the new Labour MP for Rotherham is trying to distance herself and the Labour Party from Mr Wright when they should in actual fact be making serious endeavours (The Yorkshire Post, September 17) to protect the people of South Yorkshire and ensure in future any candidates or officers they promote for positions of authority have the acumen to carry out their responsibilities, or is that too much to ask?

I have little doubt that as usual lessons will not be learned and we will get more of the same.

From: James Anthony Bulmer, Horbury, Wakefield.

WE are now witnessing a fiasco by police, council workers, and indeed the whole of Rotherham Council who apparently have held little or no regard for the safety of the people of Rotherham.

As the council is made up of members of the Labour Party, supposedly a party for the people, will this cast a doubt on the proposed Northern Assembly, put forward by Labour-led councils in Yorkshire? This disregard for people appears rife in Yorkshire, especially when we are witnessing in all cities modernisation or renaissance work being carried out as though money is no object and yet no sign of “affordable” housing for the people, and this is when the so called cuts get blamed for everything else. It would appear that for most councils, prestige comes before people.

Displays of criminality

From: Mr Moore, Halifax.

IN response to Mrs P Frankland’s letter (The Yorkshire Post, September 13), why not check out how many of the people using food banks waste their money on drugs like tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, heroin and cocaine?

I’m sure there will be more but that’s enough for a start. If such people didn’t buy smuggled tobacco, the Treasury would be billions of pounds better off too. Just watch people being blatant about it – our town centres stink of “skunk” even on a Saturday afternoon (and that’s not the e-cigarette version).

Such people couldn’t care less until the handcuffs come out and then there is a gulp and an attempt to run for it. We are supposed to have a police service to help enforcement of our laws, not to ignore criminals so they can do as they please. And not just with regards to drugs, all crime levels are going through the roof. The reason? The criminals are sure they can get away with it because there are not enough police.

Danger signals

From: Keith Sturdy, Grimbald Road, Knaresborough.

IT was sad to read the inquest (The Yorkshire Post, September 2) into Eric Ireland who was killed in an accident at an unmanned crossing on the York to Scarborough railway line. It brought back memories of Mr Len Maud who I knew, and who was killed in a similar accident a few years ago at nearby Rillington.

I was concerned that the signalman at Malton box was now responsible for up to 16 unmanned crossings as well as his other duties. I was a signalman in the next box west of Malton in the early 1970s and, as far as I can remember, was responsible for no more than three unmanned crossings which was quite enough considering that full details were required of vehicles crossing.

Surely, in these modern times, a more up to date system could, and should, be adopted?

Yorkshire’s tropical past

From: Rick Sumner, Hornsea.

I READ, with a great deal of interest, the article about the tropical type of fossils found in the Doncaster area (The Yorkshire Post, September 16). This confirms my long held contention that global 
warming and cooling are 
natural events.

The only real surprise for me is that these fossils were found in the spoil heaps of Yorkshire coal mines.

This will no doubt, in the eyes of the “green” brigade, prove conclusively that burning coal is proven to be the cause of our present warming period.

If this is indeed the case does this not prove, contrary to all our previous beliefs about dinosaurs, that these gigantic creatures were highly intelligent and were actually keeping themselves warm by lighting huge coal fires?