Letter: Race and the police

Sir: In the copious debate on Macpherson's report I have seen little discussion of how the situation might have developed in a more democratic and less damaging way if the Metropolitan Police had been supervised, like other forces in the country, by a Police Authority containing elected representatives of the community.

One wonders if such democratic arrangements would have helped avoid the Lawrence disaster.

TREVOR J BROWN

Newbury, Berkshire