Why police need to get back to basics of ‘walk and talk’ – Yorkshire Post Letters

TODAY it is common to read of murder, serious assaults, rapes and various sorts of other crimes, including criminal damage to public and private property on a daily basis.

There are many factors that have brought this situation about but the four that concern me, as a former bobby, are lack of manpower (including women power), lack of contact with the public, the political correctness of the Chief Constables and also the accepted scruffiness of the officers.

When I served we had country bobbies, I was one, who kept in touch with everyone on the beat and patrolled on a daily basis.

Towns and cities had men 
and women patrolling the 
streets on foot and talking to residents, a good source of information.

Our town had an inspector, two sergeants and five constables. We now have a constable who we rarely see, if ever.

All patrolling seems to be done in vehicles and all contact with the general public is reduced to after something has already gone wrong.

Government and the PC brigade must take most of the blame.

Get back to the basics of walk and talk, and watch things improve, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

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Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor