YP Letters: Blame cuts for decline in rural policing

I REFER to the article about Peter Hyde (The Yorkshire Post, May 26). His recollections of rural beat policing are very accurate, those were the days when the rural community and the police worked ‘together’ for the benefit of one another.

Unfortunately, this began to fragment a number of years ago with the police becoming more centralised, and this was compounded when Theresa May began to starve the Police of money and officer numbers were cut.

Nowadays there is very little community policing in either the rural or urban areas. It will be interesting to view (quote) ‘the new strategy to help forces tackle rural crime’, as the Police Service is forever reinventing the wheel.

I foresee in the coming years a return to the 1800s of communities employing their own parish constable (at their expense of course). The constable will reside in the village and work alongside the community he/she is employed to protect. In the meantime communities will have to struggle along whilst politicians and chief officers continue grasping at straws.

Learn from the French

From: JT Walker, Hessle Road, Hull.

WHEN our son was born, the midwife called the GP at 2.30am. I heard her say that baby’s heartbeat was irregular and there was stained liquid.

He was at our home near Bradford in less than four minutes, trousers over his pyjamas to do a small operation which saved my son’s life, I was told, with little time to spare.

No doubt there are still countless and varied emergencies, day and night, requiring home visits but they are now considered to be the responsibility of doctors in hospital which might be many miles away.

My son, an accountant, now lives in France where he has found medical services superior to today’s UK shambles, with total costs less than our NHS which is top-heavy with administrators.

Missing out on upgrade

From: Dave Ellis, Magdalen lane, Hedon.

OUR Transport and Environment Secretaries do not speak about transport upgrades in East Yorkshire.

On May 22, 2018, Michael Gove stated that the Government is to put in measures to reduce air pollution in our towns and cities. One of the worst roads is the A63 Castle Street in Hull, due to heavy vehicle usage from the east of the city and the docks.

The Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, has put the upgrading of the A164 between Kirk Ella and the Humber Bridge roundabout as a priority.

If the Government cared about the health and wellbeing of the residents, and increased numbers of visitors to Hull, they would prioritise Castle Street.

When will Chris Grayling do a proper evaluation of transport needs in Hull? This Government does not have any joined up thinking!

From: John Laird, Harrogate.

I HAVE just spent two weeks driving along the highways and byways of North Cornwall – what a pleasure! Although Cornwall is one of the poorest counties in the country, the roads are so smooth, virtually no potholes.

While on holiday I read Janet Street-Porter’s article in the i newspaper in which she complains about roads in Nidderdale. If a poor county like Cornwall can maintain good roads but NYCC cannot, the reason can only be down to the quality of management. But how do we get better management?

An election? No, tribal politics are too strong for that.

No merit in Jarvis dream

From: DS Boyes, Upper Rodley Lane, Leeds.

AS a born and bred Tyke, I simply cannot see any merit in Dan Jarvis’s One Yorkshire dream (The Yorkshire Post, May 26).

I do not doubt the sincerity of the Sheffield City Region mayor, or his drive to do something in areas where not much has been done, but when you have already 56 MPs and 20 local authorities, how many more politicians, officials and costly associated bureaucracy can we stand?

Engineering wrong skills?

From: Rachel Maister, Borrage Lane, Ripon.

TO be selected for grammar school it is necessary to read and write well.

Unfortunately, problems with reading are usually caused by interference from reversed images from the non-dominant side of the brain.

Engineering ability however requires one to see, mentally, these reversed images clearly.

Poor readers and spellers will not pass a grammar school entrance test so that potentially brilliant engineers will be lost to higher education.

Bizarre to force travel

From: Jayne Grayson, Sheffield.

ABORTION is to be made legal in Southern Ireland thanks to people voting yes.

In the world today, I find it bizarre that women are having to travel abroad for this procedure, something we women in England can have access to.

It’s never an easy decision to make and, even 30 years later, the thoughts of ‘was it the right decision?’ still weigh heavy and I speak from experience.

Abortion should never be used as contraception, but it should be an option for the many reasons that women have as to why they want to end a pregnancy.