I FEAR the time has arrived once more for my annual tirade against the county rate rise. First, I would love to meet this 'Public' who so 'willingly accept' these truly mind-blowing improved police services. I am sure as a rural county we cannot do without police station improvements, automatic number plate recognition, more officers on the streets (how many?), and the need for extra staff, no doubt to operate all this new technology! My mind boggles.

When will it get through to these people that it is no use blaming the Government all the time and then inflicting us, the rate payer, with the bill for services that would appear to be from a wish list. I have not yet mentioned pensions, an emotive subject. How can the police justify extra spending to protect their very generous pensions, taken at a very early age, when we, the general public, have to fund our own, and balance our budget come what may. I am a pensioner, I have, up to press, made ends meet, but I don't see why I should have to start lowering my standard of living to fund these huge demands from the likes of the police authority. Go away and get real. One last question, how much increase have they had in the last two years? 117pc I think is the figure, mine is 5.9!!

Yours, fed up with having to write yet again, in defence of a largely silent sector.

C W PAXTON

Keldholme

Updated: 10:30 Wednesday, February 26, 2003