Letter: Wholesale changes needed in police disciplinary system

Sir: Public confidence in the police is at an all-time low and the way to clean up any organisation is to start at the top, not at the bottom.

The law states that chief constables must record all complaints against police officers with the Police Complaints Authority. However, the PCA has frequently made representations to the Home Secretary about a weakness in the law which renders them powerless in cases where chief constables choose to ignore this irksome piece of legislation, particularly when the outcome of investigations might suggest that they are not running a disciplined force.

That home secretaries have, over a number of years, resolutely declined to confront this issue makes them complicit in encouraging chief constables to ignore the law. Could it be that the idea that there are bent chief constables is too awful to contemplate?

EDWARD CARRON

Condover, Shropshire