Tuesday's Letters: Knee-jerk reactions are no way to run the justice system

Like other judges and magistrates of long experience he has experienced a variety of such at regular intervals over the last half century or so.

It seems to be incumbent on every politician entrusted with the care of our justice system to want to tinker with it, and the results over time have been dire.

To match the passing whim of the public and vocal media, sentencing is now more governed by knee-jerk rules and regulations devised by ill experienced politicians and administrators than by common sense and real justice.

Fashionable theories of "lock them up" or "let them out" have at times been seen to sway the changes.

The traditional ability of the magistrate to reflect the seriousness of the crime concerning the citizens of a neighbourhood was virtually destroyed by the last much meddling Labour government as the desire for nationwide equality was imposed.

Books of rules and guidelines took over from common sense and real justice.

Simple matters do not seem to be considered and, in the seeming burning desire to empty our gaols, it does not appear to be part of the politicians' thinking that if the population has increased by millions there needs to be a proportionate increase in custody facilities.

Contrary to naive belief, crime will never go away. It has been part of life since the birth of civilsation, although it can be managed to keep it within tolerable limits.

All the tools of the trade are required and to tell the justices to use a fine file when a hefty saw is needed to deal with a rotten piece is nonsensical and counter productive.

Former experienced magistrates have seen so many worthwhile schemes for training and rehabilitation started and then stopped in mid-stream by successor ministers that we lost count.

Some have even re-emerged years later as being wonderful new ideas.

Likewise, offending rates have gone up and down as whims have been tried and dropped, or quite simply the results have been fiddled or made obscure by changes in counting what is a crime and what is not.

Paul Firth rightly notes the difference between sensible sentence reduction based on plea, or properly managed early release from custody and subsequent rehabilitation and behaviour, versus the ill-thought out arbitrary rules method. One might have credited Ken Clarke with more sense than to go down the latter route, but it seems that soundbite justice has also bitten him.

The simple fact of life is that more people means more crime.

It has been there from the beginning of time and will not go away.

It has to be managed but sadly our politicians try to do so with one eye on the ballot box and the other on the purse.

That is no way to improve matters nor to be just to the people as well as offenders.

From: RC Curry, Adel Grange Close, Leeds.

Restraint of our police to be admired

From: Father Neil McNicholas, St Hilda's Parish Whitby.

WELL said GP Taylor ("These mindless bullyboys…" Yorkshire Post, December 11), but what you might also have said is that the student protesters were fortunate indeed that our police are only armed with truncheons.

It continues to be a testimony to the restraint and courage of our police that, in this day and age, they still elect not to be armed. At one time no one (sober) would dare lay a finger on a policeman because they knew what the legal consequences would be if they did.

We have seen students assaulting the police, throwing fire extinguishers off buildings on top of them, hurling billiard balls and all sorts of missiles – including rocks tied to ropes – but there has to be an inquiry because one student was allegedly struck by a police truncheon. Elsewhere he might well have been shot because no other police force would tolerate the abuse our police receive on these occasions.

From: Elaine Ellis, Beverley, East Yorkshire.

NOW that tuition fees have been raised to 9,000, the question should be is a university education value for money?

Having had two children through the system, I must say it depends on the courses and whether they are linked to vocational outcomes. Many so-called three-year degrees could be done in two, especially when they consist of a lecture a week.

With the rise of polytechnics and colleges linked to university, many see a watering down of degree status. This is not the students' fault.

Where are the vocational apprenticeships/training schemes and the employment on completion? The rise in student places is surely linked to any government's unemployment figures.

Many would argue that a university education is a privilege. Wake up the so-called "middle class" England. It will be your children, not the poor and not the rich, who will bear the brunt of this legislation. The message is that if you work for your income you will have to pay.

My ethos has been to value education and the vast majority of hard-working young people who want a further education. Such young people are our future. Now they will have to ask, "Is it worth the debt?" Sadly, this older generation is saying we had a chance to better ourselves, but we deny it to you.

From: Phil Hanson, Beechmount Close, Baildon, Shipley.

THE sight of Charlie Gilmour climbing up the Cenotaph is a strong indicator of how a misled bunch of students are using the fees issue as a front for plain old thuggery and bad behaviour.

There is a key issue that I find worrying though, that these demonstrators can assault the police and walk the streets armed, masked and dangerous. The result was a measly number of arrests and I suggest once again the police failed to get a grip of the situation.

Maintaining law and order? I think not. Masked and tooled up people are thugs on a mission. If these people are allowed to walk through our capital, we have lost the plot. Snatch squads and clear rules of engagement beforehand are needed in future.

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

RECENT events on the streets of London show just how downhill our education system has gone in recent years.

There was a time, a few decades ago, when children were taught not only the Three Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic – but also a fourth, respect.

That was respect for their peers and for property.

Unfortunately, many of today's so-called students have never grown up beyond the tantrum stage. They deserve not one penny of our money to help them get into any university.

From: Peter J Brown, Connaught Road, Middlesbrough.

I CAN see both sides of the argument over student tuition fees. What interests me is the political and public order aspects of the issue.

The significant number of Liberal Democrat MPs who voted to uphold the promises in their party's manifesto, and voted against the rise, are to be commended.

The small number of Tory MPs who voted against the rise also have my admiration bearing in mind that the mainstream Tory view of education is that broad-based education, based on the arts and humanities, should be a privilege for the small elite who can afford to pay.

It is good to see students standing up to be counted and challenging the Government.

Thanks for a great concert

From: Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire, chairman, Royal Air Force Charitable Trust.

ON behalf of the trustees of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, I wish to thank all the servicemen and women involved in the recent, outstanding concert at the International Centre, Harrogate, performed by the Band of the RAF College, the Band of the RAF Regiment, the Salon Orchestra and Swing Wing.

The well-attended concert, staged in support of our charity, demonstrated just how many fine musicians the Royal Air Force possesses under the assured and dynamic baton of the RAF's principal director of music, Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs.

I should also like to thank Air Cadets from 58 (Harrogate) Squadron who supported the concert. The event, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, was yet another fine example of the way in which our trading company the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises has worked alongside the RAF this year to stage inspired and official events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Milk producers missing out on cereal success

From: Henry Maude, Linton Road, Wetherby.

THE recent BBC documentary The Food That Didn't Make Billions was well-researched and snappily presented. However, to most of us, a bowl of breakfast cereal means the cereal and the milk we pour on it.

You could, therefore, be excused for thinking that when the value added cereal took off globally the fortunes of the milk we pour on it would track the cereal. No such thing. In fact, during this period of staggering breakfast cereal growth, the price milk producers could obtain has declined, so much so tens of thousands of dairy farmers have left the sector. How could this be?

n When Britain entered the EU, the Milk Marketing Board was deemed a monopoly and must be disbanded. At one stroke, this deprived milk producers of their only price negotiating and advertising tool.

n A massive advertising campaign for breakfast cereal makers that focused entirely on the cereal and studiously avoided the role of milk.

n The justification for the huge mark-up of the cereal was that it was a value added product. It is not unfair to point out the milk also added value to the cereal, but all the added value went to the cereal and none to the milk.

n When a plastic container of milk is purchased you will find nothing extolling the virtues of the milk in the container. Likewise, examine the supermarket shelves where the milk is displayed and you will find a total lack of advertising.

In conclusion, while we ethically minded, diet conscious, healthy eating customers browse around our supermarket shelves selecting our three for twos and buy one get one frees, let us ponder this. That in the midst of all this Santa Claus-like munificence, the retailers can be red in tooth and claw with their less powerful suppliers.

Where was the grit?

From: Eric Houlder, Fairview, Carleton.

HAVING foolishly ventured out to collect a prescription, I found the centre of Pontefract suddenly and miraculously cleared of snow. Sadly, this did not apply to my own village road which is also in Wakefield Council's area. Then, as if on the road to Damascus, I had a flashback to your headline (Yorkshire Post, December 7) in which Coun Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, stated that councils had adequate stocks of grit.

Of course the council has adequate stocks, for the simple reason that very little is being used, especially in the areas distant from Wakefield. The same economy seems to have been applied to snow-ploughs too. Are both being conserved for really bad weather?

Surprise at prosecution

From: Max Nottingham, St Faith's Street, Lincoln.

I WAS surprised to read that a homeless man was prosecuted for a 5 shoplifting offence. It seemed a pointless prosecution.

I am sure there are many alleged crimes, much more serious than that, which never get anywhere near a court.

The retail trade have far too much clout in this area. The Crown Prosecution Service need to put on their thinking caps. Take compassion off the ration.

Wind farm withdrawal

From: Trevor Hanson, chairman, Campaign Against Turbines, Pollington.

YOUR readers and correspondents who argue against the desecration of rural areas by wind turbines will be pleased to learn that E.ON have withdrawn their application to construct a wind farm at Pollington near Snaith.

The chairman of E.ON did say some time ago that if it were not for government subsidies, no-one would be constructing such installations.

Let us hope that if any money is spare in the depleted coffers then it will be spent offshore.