Letters to the Editor

The police are in a no-win situation. What do the community expect the police to do in Oldham? The police can't simply say: "Please Mr. Rioter, don't throw petrol bombs and bricks at us. We are only doing our job".

What did the rioters hope to achieve by fighting with the police and causing millions of pounds of damage? The police should have operated a zero tolerance policy and arrested everyone at the scene.

What would decent law-abiding citizens be doing out at that time, hurling bricks and abuse at the police?

Irrespective of who started the trouble, or whether there was provocation, can anyone possibly justify vandalism and the endangerment of police lives?

I Khan, Heaton Road, Heaton, Bradford

SIR - After reading M Hussain's letter on Friday, May 25, speculating about the drug dealers buying off the police, I thought how things have changed.

Going to St Mary's School down German Street, we all had to cross Otley Road over to the Cock & Bottle pub. There was always a policeman to see us over. How thrilled we were if you were the one whose hand he took to lead us all over safely. We all looked up to him.

The police are not respected as they were years ago, but I hope they are not too afraid to stop the drug dealers selling to children.

I always feel safe whenever our police are about.

If like Mr Hussain I had seen these drug dealers, I would have reported them to the police.

The police have a very hard time with youths of today. Can they ever get the respect back?

Veronica Farnell, Market Street, Thornton.

SIR - How refreshing it is to see "New Bradfordians" putting pen to paper and broaching taboo subjects, the latest being Maqbad Hussain ("Have our police been bought off?", Letters, May 25).

There are some rotten apples in every barrel, therefore it would be unfair to tar all police officers with the same brush. The problem here is a combination of laws, human rights and mountains of paperwork which prevent our police officers from handing out summary on-the-spot justice to redress the balance.

Also, there are more solicitors per head of population than pigeons round Nelson's Column.

So Mr Hussain, ask yourself this question: If crime, corruption and drug abuse were minimised overnight, who would be out of a job?

Trevor Williams-Berry, Bredon Avenue, Wrose.

SIR - Some politicians keep telling us that as a wealthy EU state, we must take our fair share of asylum-seekers. This decision should be made by the British tax-payer, and not someone in Brussels, who doesn't have our best interests at heart.

With the NHS and other public services in such a bad state, can we really afford to waste money on bogus asylum-seekers?

What is the link between asylum and race, when the majority of asylum-seekers are white Eastern Europeans?

If so many bogus asylum-seekers are getting to Britain, what is happening to the genuine refugees?

Secure reception centres would certainly deter many bogus asylum-seekers and leave money to improve our prehistoric public services.

M Javaid, Abingdon Street, Bradford.

SIR - I write following your article "Decaying animals threaten business" (T&A, May 19) and the much smaller apology headed "Sheep not connected to plant" that appeared in the May 22 issue.

The photograph shows sheep skins, not carcasses. I am sure you, and your readers, will appreciate that there is a significant difference between the two.

My company is currently doing its best, under extremely difficult circumstances, to process carcasses involved in the foot and mouth crisis and the resultant cull. We make every effort to work closely with MAFF and local environmental officers, but on occasions there are lorries waiting on the road, and there is an unpleasant smell from these carcasses, not from the plant itself.

This is distressing to all, including our staff, and it is a situation we do all we can to avoid. We have to dispose of all the animals we are sent and some are over a week old by the time they arrive.

I want to assure your readers that we are a responsible business, and that we do make every effort to deal with these matters efficiently and responsibly. There is absolutely no risk to public health and, of course, we very much regret any inconvenience that this process is causing our neighbours.

However, it is a fact that British farmers and our tourist industry are under intense pressure as we all work together to try to control this crisis. I appeal to our neighbours to work with us over the coming weeks and accept that we are doing all we can to ensure any inconvenience is kept to an absolute minimum.

Mark Waddington, P Waddington & Co Ltd, Bradford.

SIR - May I thank all the generous people who helped us to raise £215.39 at our recent collection in Morrisons, Sticker Lane, and the management and staff who made us so welcome, and also supported us at the earlier Bradford flag day, enabling only a handful of collectors, largely disabled, to raise the amazing sum of £854.81.

We could not do this without them, and our gratitude is boundless, also to the collectors who toiled all day. They are jewels in the crown of ARC, and no words can express our appreciation.

We were able to send £2,500 to headquarters at our monthly meeting earlier this week for allocation to research projects.

If anyone would like further information about the work of the Arthritis Research Campaign, please do not hesitate to call me on (01943) 872067.

Elizabeth M Holbrook (Bradford branch secretary, Arthritis Research Campaign), Bradford Road, Menston.

SIR - I have just spent almost three weeks in St Luke's Hospital on Ward E1 - a geriatric ward, but the only spare bed available.

I would like to express my gratitude to the nurses and all the staff for their care and kindness in spite of a very hard and stressful job.

Mrs I Bullock, Leeds Road, Eccleshill.