Letter: Trauma part of a police constable's job

Sir: I have been a serving, full-time firefighter for 20 years and in that time I have encountered death in many forms: in the aftermath of road traffic accidents and fires, beneath trains, and in numerous other ways.

In all of this time, and among all of this mainly avoidable carnage, neither myself nor any of my many colleagues have ever considered the possibility of compensation for the gruesome sights we have to contend with.

These things are merely part of our job and anyone joining the fire service must surely be aware of the nature of his or her chosen occupation. This must surely be the case also with the police service ("Police fail in claim for disaster damages", 11 April). How can anyone be so blinkered and sheltered as to imagine a career in the police without carrying out duties quite alien to most "civilian" occupations?

For anyone in any occupation to attempt to gain compensation for merely doing their job smacks of Nineties opportunism. As the saying goes, "If you can't stand the heat ..."

Yours faithfully

R. COOK

Durham

11 April