Letter: Zero tolerance

Sir: Your leading article "Zero tolerance deserves a fair trial"(8 June) concludes that a "flexible" zero-tolerance approach to crime should be implemented in the UK. There is a great deal of misunderstanding about what "zero tolerance" means.

Both here and in the US innovative policing methods appear to be making progress on cutting crime and disorder. The common elements of these new approaches, whatever their name, are twofold: ensuring adequate resources are available for community policing and introducing partnerships between the police and the community.

The most famous proponent of "zero tolerance", William Bratton, former Police Commissioner of New York, summarised the problems faced before his reforms as: "Police had more and more calls and less time to investigate, less clearance and solving of crime and, perhaps most importantly, the police had less time to interact in a positive way with members of the community". His solution was to increase the number of police officers and revitalise community policing through "partnership, problem solving and prevention".

If this is what zero tolerance actually means, it can be supported. However, if it means increasingly stretched police forces implementing insensitive and potentially confrontational approaches, then I retain my reservations.

ALAN BEITH MP

(Berwick-upon-Tweed, Lib Dem)

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman

House of Commons

London SW1