Letters: In defence of the police

A health-care disaster

Sir: Kate Andrews’s piece on who really controls the NHS (‘Waiting game’, 12 February) gives us a flavour of how things have come to this: an unaccountable health service with a government attached. We are about to enter a new phase, with additional taxation in the form of increased NI based on promises which are already looking hollow — waiting lists will continue to rise. There is no sign that the 100,000 key workers who are needed are going to be found any time soon.

The truth of the matter is that the people have been fed a number of lies for decades: that health care in the UK is ‘free’ and available to all; that we have the best health-care system in the world; and that the provision of health care is best organised through a state monopoly financed by the taxpayer with politicians in charge.

While there are many examples of great work being done by brilliant individuals within the NHS, there are also numerous examples of disastrous care. What is abundantly clear is that personal continuity of care is rarely on offer, and the ordinary citizen is having either to fight the system to get the right attention or put up with a very long — and growing — waiting list. Until we elect politicians who have the guts to admit that it is not possible to continue in this way, we will continue to sleepwalk towards disaster.

Neville Abraham

London SW3

Police and thank yous

Sir: I had sympathy with Kevin Hurley’s comments on the vilification of the police (‘Cop out’, 12 February). I served as a magistrate for 16 years in four towns and two counties and learned great respect for all involved in the justice system, not least for the police. A characteristic almost unique to the work of the police is that they spend practically all of their working time dealing with unhappy people.