MR W. Derbyshire (Yours Truly, August 2) says that I should back modern methods of policing, such as helicopters.

What the public are worried about is the anti-social behaviour of a small, but vicious, element of thugs. Effective as helicopters are in chasing cars, I don't believe that they help in clearing abusive gangs from street corners or who might be causing trouble on estates.

Neither did the police prevent the biggest mass murderer in recent history, Harold Shipman, from continuing to kill. Despite warnings from professionals, GMP failed to act. We pay high contributions to a police force that fails to regard the public seriously.

However, Mr Derbyshire will be pleased that I back the proposed reforms to bring the force up to date. At last David Blunkett has come down in favour of ideas suggested by superintendents and inspectors to get more officers on the beat. Instead of walking around in pairs they will be able to cover twice the ground, and the mountains of paperwork could be handled by civilians.

Let us hope that the Police Federation will support these moves. When Mrs Thatcher had similar reformist ideas some 20,000 bobbies travelled down to Wembley to stage a huge protest. They didn't want to come into the modern world at all.

Mr Derbyshire will also be happy that I back moves to reduce the number of high compensation claims and address the culture of early retirement on supposed sickness grounds that together have brought the force into disrepute. Most people in the commercial world have to work until they are 65 before they collect a pension.

I don't know Mr Derbyshire's profession, but the strong support that he gives to the police in very controversial areas leads me to the tentative conclusion that he might possibly be a former officer himself.

If this is so, then police pensions must be even better than I thought. Very few Bury residents could afford to spend nine months of the year in sunny Western Australia and make frequent return journeys home.

COP THAT