2, PROSPECT CLOSE, EWLOE, FLINTSHIRE, CH 3RL. 6th June 2008. Dear Editor, The slain Mold Bullock and ricocheting bullet. November 2007. The shooting of the Brazilian electrician three years ago and the death of a police officer in Manchester during a training exercise recently are both more serious than the bullock incident. However, when ever police deploy firearms the public must be assured that officers are capable of handling weapons safely and the public is not put at risk. I am aware that all attempts by your newspaper to call the chief constable to account has failed other than to inform you that the matter ahs been investigated. (Full Stop!) But it has been alleged that the animal had been calmed and was with other beasts in a field and yet the creature was killed and another bullet that slammed through a window and into the wall of a near by office. The office could have been occupied and a person as well as a animal could have become victims of the North Wales Firearms Unit. Is it true that the owner of the officer was persuaded not to make a formal complaint? Surely not.! Your Chronicle is right …..
An Authority’s functions are to ensure that the force is run effectively and efficiently, and to monitor how complaints are dealt with. It is also the disciplining body for its ACPO ranks and can decide how to address any complaint made against a senor officer. The Police Authority fits uneasily between Home Office, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary and the chief constable, whose total control over operational matters can cause a problem for an Authority. This model ensures that no one is actually accountable for mismanagement or for poor administration within the police service. All Police Authorities set the police precept that the local authority merely collects. North Wales policing costs has rocketed in recent years yet the chief officer still challenged the public to pay more or services could not be guaranteed. The Authority acquiesced to two years of “begging bowl” strategy, ignoring the potential loss of confidence when promises were broken. The Assembly continues to increase its share of force budgets yearly but has no say in how the money is spent or to determine if Wales is getting a good deal.The Welsh Assembly is committed to equal opportunities for all, condemns confidentiality clauses and Cabinet minutes are …..
The very nice men from the AA are soon to publish a new road atlas marking the location of fixed speed cameras to help motorists avoid expensive fines. More than three million punters are expected to lash out on this guide, many from North Wales, desperate to avoid further points on their licenses. Of the four Welsh forces, North Wales tops the league for speed tickets and of course, it’s never the really reckless road-hogs, only decent, careful bods like the Spanish teacher who drives the school bus as a social responsibility. Having been clobbered three times in three months, by infamous ‘Arrive Alive’ vans invariably positioned in sneaky positions close to the 30 mile limit sign and the like, she now drives below 28 mph concentrating more on the speedometer rather that the way ahead! The brains behind this obsession with speeders is the controversial Richard Brunstrom; spell check helpfully suggests ‘brainstorm’ and certainly a storm of fines has brought drivers to their knees as the chief Constable is totally unrepentant over his remorseless ‘no speed policy’. As head of the chief constables’ traffic committee, the force ensures that tickets fly even if the wretched punter wanders even a …..