W ELLIOTT of Hartlepool states that we need to pay more tax to get a better police service (July 2).

In York, our council tax bills clearly state on the bill that we have to pay an increase of 76.09 per cent for North Yorkshire Police Authority.

So we can assume that the police are getting the funding they require to do the job. However I suspect it is the way the money is spent that is the problem.

Let's not forget police officers, and firefighters for that matter, retire much earlier than the majority of the population. I would suspect that the increases in our council tax are funding these early retirements and not the improved service that is obviously lacking.

We hear that Parliament wants us to be employed longer, possibly until we are 70 years old. I wonder if that will cover the police as well?

If it does we may then see an improvement in police services to the public as the loss of manpower when they retire at 30 years service may be contributing to the major problems we all seem to be having with police service.

Stuart Wilson,

Vesper Drive,

Acomb, York.

...TWO articles in Monday's Evening Press drew my attention. The first, the police response to the graffiti in Huntington. It is simply not acceptable for the police to take 15 minutes to answer the telephone, not to attend when vandals are still carrying out their vandalism and then to attempt to blame the person making the report claiming that incorrect information had been given.

Two other reports of criminal activity have been brought to my attention with these being dealt with in a similar manner and I wonder how often this happens without a newspaper exposing it?

The second was the report of police officers attending a Gay Pride event. I have no problems with a person's sexual orientation, but I object strongly to my money being used to pay for travelling and accommodation costs for police officers to attend an event that is privately organised and not concerned with policing matters.

The two incidents must question the concerns of our police force. To suggest, as deputy chief constable, Peter Walker seems to do, that there are so many anti-gay criminal incidents that it needs special officers with special training to deal with them is surely over the top. I certainly agree with the police officers being trained to take action when anyone is abused, but I stress the word anyone, not one particular minority in our society.

I still have confidence in our police force, and I understand the greater workload placed on them by present attitudes in our society, but I wonder if their priorities are quite right. In view of the considerable rise in local taxation contributions to the work of the police, I would ask that our money is spent on policing matters, not on private pleasures.

Les Marsh,

Secretary,

Clifton Independents,

Grosvenor Court,

Water Lane,

Clifton, York.

Updated: 11:32 Friday, July 04, 2003