RE the story Real 70s Cop (Lancashire Telegraph, February 16).

As a retired police officer who served with Jimmy O (Jim Oldcorn) as he was affectionately known, I must admit that I was not a number one fan of his but, I must highly commend him for putting himself up front in the article.

All he says was quite correct and true.

The detection rate in those days, when I was a serving detective in Blackburn, was second to none.

Yes, there were crimes not recorded officially, but kept in what was known as the "cuff book". You didn't record 10 thefts of milk bottles from doorsteps on one street, only one would be recorded.

In those days robbery was as defined in the Theft Act of 1968. But there was also an offence of theft from the person, a much lesser offence, eg pick-pocketing without fear or violence.

Nowadays, the powers that be refer to all "muggings" as theft from the person, when in fact they are out and out robbery, because of the fear factor defined in the Act. Also, it is far harder to prove by the CPS in court. And this is just one instance of how the crime figures have been manipulated.

In the early 80s, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Government introduced graduates to forces. They were on fast track for promotion, sometimes extra quickly.

They had no nous, no idea of managing other officers and a total waste of time. But they were the tools for the police force we have today.

Then came the politically correct Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1985 which I feel was introduced mainly due to some "bent" officers in larger city forces not complying with the rules. Basically this was kow-towing to politicians and "do-gooders" of this pathetic country as it has now become.

It appears to me the officers of this day and age are "jobsworths," fearful of not being politically correct and totally governed by the namby-pamby supervising officers manipulated by the state we now live in.

I am sure law-abiding citizens of this area will agree that it would be a far better place to live in if the police were allowed to go back to the 1960s and 70s method of policing, where at least your request to see a police officer was adhered to, without having to go through a series of questions asked by some civilian in divisional headquarters.

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