WITH reference to “bobbies” not being on the beat, (Might beat bobby provide answers?, Letters, March 18), because they are burdened with paperwork, this illuminates the ever-increasing demands over recent years by Government and the legal system, that require that you have to cross the “ts” and dot the “is” even before any case is considered to appear before a court.

When I started my career in the police service in the late 1950s, my equipment before venturing out to pound the beat consisted of one pocket book and pencil, duty mints, whistle and chain and a truncheon, made of wood, and during the hours of darkness a modern version of a bull’s eye torch.

Any deviation from your patrol had to be noted, even ablutions, and you had to ring in to the police station every hour from a police box – note, no personal radio.

However, the introduction of them later proved a godsend for rapid response for help, instead of having to wake up a resident at 2am to ring for assistance, which at times did not cement good public relations.

During the late 1960s and into later years, paperwork increased tenfold, and the amount of equipment one had to carry about one’s person and form filling back at the station would put WH Smith to shame.

Old-fashioned I may well be in my outlook, but there is no substitute for having a police officer being in daily contact with the public, along with the daily contact of the milkman, postman, etc.

In financial terms, apart from a boot allowance, and/or cycle allowance, the cost of the exercise is minimal.

Being street-wise is your only weapon to reducing crime and disorder and incidentally, for the would-be “wags”, Queen Victoria was not on the throne in my day.

Kenneth Bowker, Vesper Walk, Huntington, York.