TWO news reports in The Press on August 8 leave readers with a problem of what or who to actually believe.

The first, ‘Fall in rural crime across North Yorkshire’, gives the impression that, while welcoming the reduction in rural crime, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) Julia Mulligan states that more must be done.

The second report (Police ‘unable to afford to work’) quotes a spokesman for the North Yorkshire Police Federation (NYPF). After coming out with various facts and figures the spokesman says: ‘The service is crumbling at its foundations, officers are breaking down under the extreme pressure, serious crime is rising. This is not crying wolf, it is a proven fact’.

So we have the PCC stating that more needs to be done and a police federation spokesman stating that the force is crumbling and officers are breaking down.

Just how does Julia Mulligan suggest that you get more out of less? Exactly how many titles does she wish to have in her portfolio, and can she manage all these portfolios successfully, without one service or another (police or fire) being neglected or deprived?

HF Perry,

St James Place,

Dringhouses, York