WHATEVER one's opinions are, for or against the police demonstration in London, I never thought that I would witness in my time police officers, namely the Metropolitan Police, having to be on duty, controlling their own kind in a demonstration.

The protest was primarily not about the right to strike, but the breaking of a long-standing agreement over pay and conditions.

If legislation was passed giving the police the right to strike, the vast majority of officers would not take this action.

But if strike action did occur then the Government of the day would have no alternative but to bring in "martial law", and introduce our Armed Forces onto the streets to maintain "law and order", which happened many times before 1829.

However, with our armed services severely depleted in numbers and equipment, they too would be hard-pressed to accommodate this state of affairs, and anarchy would follow in its wake, with tragic circumstances for all.

As for the overtime payments, these were paid instead of a police officer having a day off, a system brought in many years ago because of lack of a manpower especially in London, and which supplemented the officers' low pay at the time.

This state of affairs was used by Government when it became time for wage negotiations, and still is - they call it overtime.

So the Government can't have it both ways. Either bring the police and Armed Forces up to modern day requirements, which increase day-by-day in this volatile world we live in, or suffer the consequences.

Kenneth Bowker (retired police officer), Vesper Walk, Huntington, York.