Sir, Your recent report of the changes made in creating Police Scotland as a single force did not sufficiently make clear the opposition to this by those of us who value separated political power and freedom in general.
Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the new oath sworn by constables on entry to the force.
Whilst there is no mention of the rights of the citizen to look to constables for protection from criminality in all its forms (“an anachronism”, according to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill) the new oath has been politicised to oblige the police “to uphold human rights and accord equal respect to all people according to the law”.
Nothing new there then!
However, the devil, as usual, emerges in the 25 separate pledges any breach of which can cost a constable disciplinary action and more bluntly the sack.
The Police Scotland Chief Constable and Justice Secretary MacAskill and their political tail have spelled out what “equal respect” should be.
Criminals have to be treated in “a humane and dignified manner”. Police must now remain sensitive to the needs of “affected individuals” and more ominously still “with respect to freedom of thought”.
Whose freedom of thought, the criminal’s?
The danger is plainly written. The autocratic police authority will interpret the new code as they see it.
Our once respected police are undergoing an evolution of superior orders which we must not let degenerate into the re-emergence of the concept, “orders are orders”.
Alastair Harper. House of Gask, Lathalmond, by Dunfermline.
Non-existent problem
Sir, Any new law especially one restricting existing civic rights must meet an identified need and MSP Jim Hume’s intended bill to outlaw smoking in private cars with children on board fails that first test.
This is non-existent problem in my experience and it falls to Mr Hume to provide relevant incidence figures, backed by specific evidence of improvement where the measure has already been applied.
I do not mean the usual vague “research has shown” or figures plucked from the air. Many arguments proposed by anti-smoking campaign groups range from unsubstantiated to untrue.
Such a ban differs from the existing one in applying to private space and to children only, which tends to the suspicion that the next stage will be to apply it also to adults.
It would therefore make more sense to go directly to that stage.
It seems to have escaped notice that smokers themselves breathe in secondary smoke, so in this case even a driver on his own should be similarly “protected”.
I am not arguing either for or against smoking as a habit, but politicians should have minimal licence to interfere with citizens engaging in any legal activity. I also write as one such citizen grateful for the existing public smoking limits.
Robert Dow. Ormiston Road, Tranent.
Why no ruling on languages?
Sir, I refer to the letter headed “We must trade in languages” in The Courier of May 8. George Aimer says he would substitute Urdu and Mandarin for French and Spanish. Why “substitute”? Why not learn French, Spanish and perhaps other European languages as well as Urdu, Mandarin etc?
What’s wrong with learning European languages? Polish, Czech and Finnish are others that would be useful (never mind how difficult they are said to be).
The European Union and the European Court of Human Rights are fond of piling every ruling they can think of on us, on subjects such as Britain’s anti-terrorist laws, Abu Hamza, Abu Qatada, prisoners being allowed to vote, pilots having to work longer hours and so on.
For some strange reason, however, one subject on which they have omitted to make any ruling is that we should learn other languages and I can’t help wondering why. Every reason I can think of makes the European Court of Human Rights some sort of a joke.
John Devlin. 57 Blackwood Court, Dundee.
An empty promise?
Sir, Gordon Brown recently vowed to deliver social justice and full tax powers to Scotland. It is hard to see how he can do that as Labour isn’t in power!
Peter Bell. Muirton Road, Arbroath.
Wonderful care and attention
Sir, Following a recent week’s stay in Ward 7/8 in Ninewells hospital, I would like to say how much I appreciate the wonderful care and attention I received there. Every member of staff was utterly professional while at the same time genuinely caring.
Ethel M Fitzgerald. Wayside West, 8 Castle Road, Longforgan, Perthshire.
Forget the cull invest
Sir, I couldn’t agree more with The Courier’s social media headline regarding teachers.
“Public sector workers threaten strike action citing under-resourced reforms, austerity cuts, pointless bureaucracy, rising stress, health risks, low morale, pay cuts, pension fears, staff shortages, uncertain working conditions and excessive hours. Apart from that everything is fine…”
Multiply this within health, local government, policing, civil service etc and our UK public services are at crisis point. We cannot continue to underfund these critical services that provide so much to ensure we have a decent society.
Both Westminster and Holyrood need to start investing in public services instead of a cull on public service workers.
George McIrvine. Branch Secretary, UNISON, Police Staff Scotland.
Not the same beavers
Sir, Re your article, Talk for those eager to learn about beavers, in your issue of May 8, while you are correct in reporting that a five-year beaver trial is being held at the remote area of Loch Coille-Bhair in Argyll, the beavers seen swimming in the Tay and elsewhere in Strathmore are nothing to do with this trial.
These beavers have been illegally released into the wild in contravention of the Wild Mammals Act which makes it illegal to release non-indigenous species into the wild.
Andrew Ogilvy-Wedderburn. Silvie House, Alyth.
Real cause for concern
Sir, The “missing file” saga relating to senior officers in the former Tayside Police raises cause for concern given that it is a confidential file which has gone missing from a secure unit with restricted access.
Bearing in mind that silence breeds suspicion and rumour, it is to be hoped that the enquiry by Police Scotland will bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion and enable confidence to be restored in the former Tayside Police area.
John McDonald. 14 Rosebery Court, Kirkcaldy.
Nobody said it would be easy
Sir, Having read the various arguments from contributors in previous letters pages attacking the SNP’s plans for a post independent Scotland, you could be forgiven for wondering why any country has ever bothered with independence.
Heaven forbid that an independent nation would have to be responsible for its own defence, foreign policy and, shock horror, might have to have its own economic policy! At this rate, Better Together will be telling us that grass is green and the sky is blue!
Of course, the devil is in the detail, but nobody said nation building would be easy, nobody said that a post-independent Scotland will magically transform overnight into a Celtic wonderland.
It will require hard graft and vision, qualities that we are repeatedly told Scots have in abundance, except, of course, when it comes to going alone.
Finally, the idea that an independent Scotland would be cast adrift by the EU and NATO (considering the latter’s attempts to recruit those beacons of democracy that are the former Soviet states in Eastern Europe) is typical scaremongering, especially coming from a Conservative government that sees no contradiction in wanting to break away from the EU on the one hand, but is fighting to keep the UK together on the other.
RMF Brown. 10 Hill Terrace, Markinch.
I will certainly miss Big Angus
Sir, I was so sad to hear of the death of Big Angus, the Highland bull who resided in the fields at Riverside.
Just over a year ago he was with his friend, another bull called Hamish, who sadly died in his thirties.
Angus was returned to a field with four females last year and they bossed him about no end.
I fed him every day and he knew me so well.
He would come towards the fence whenever he saw me and when I shouted his name he responded. He was just like a pet and I loved him.
I fed him carrots and apples as usual just the Friday before, then said goodbye not realising I wouldn’t see him again.
I’m sure lots of people driving along Riverside will miss him.
Thank you, Angus, for the joy you gave to me and others.
Tricia Smart. Ninewells, Dundee.