The Reader: Many police officers perform selfless acts of bravery every day

Further to your coverage of our bravery awards [“Met’s terror attack heroes honoured with top award,” July 13], it was my pleasure to host the ceremony last Thursday.

The acts of bravery exhibited by the officers nominated were humbling. The overall prize was awarded jointly to two officers from the Met.

PC Charlie Guenigault, while off duty, ran to the aid of colleagues who were dealing with a group of knife-wielding terrorists in Borough Market. He drew the focus of the attackers away from members of the public, sustaining life-threatening injuries as he did.

PC Keith Palmer was the unarmed parliamentary protection officer who exhibited the ultimate act of bravery — giving his life protecting others from a knife-wielding terrorist intent on attacking the very heart of our democracy.

Charlie and Keith represent the very best of British policing and were a small fraction of the officers who every day undertake heroic acts, but always say they “are just doing their job”.

So while some in society seem intent on deriding and defaming police officers, they would do well to take a look at the stories and remind themselves of the truly selfless service officers across this country undertake day in, day out.
Calum Macleod
Chair, Police Federation of England and Wales

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Calum

YOU ARE right to remind everyone that frontline police officers perform remarkable acts of bravery in extreme circumstances. Londoners rely on them.

Officers involved in responding to attacks at Borough Market and outside Parliament did an extraordinary job, and for anyone outside the force it is hard to imagine what it must be like to be involved. It’s true, too, that the less-reported, everyday work of the police is often just as important and difficult. But may I question one point you make?

It may be right that, as you say, some in society are “intent on deriding and defaming police officers”, but that doesn’t make all discussion of the police’s work criticism of police officers themselves.

It is possible to respect their heroism while asking how the forces that keep us safe could do their job even better.

Julian Glover, Assistant Editor (Comment)

Why no protest against Erdogan?

I didn’t agree with Asad Rehman’s letter [“President Trump is not welcome”, July 12].

For many years, and indeed centuries, London has received people from the four corners of the globe: some have come as conquerors, some as allies, some as residents, some as visitors. Some of them have been nicer than others. It’s worth remembering that President Erdogan of Turkey visited recently but I didn’t notice that the chattering classes were highly mobilised against him. President Trump, on the other hand, is the elected leader of a genuinely democratic nation.
Oliver Westmoreland

CAN’T we do ourselves a favour? Be grown up if you seek a profitable relationship with a mighty nation.
Tony Jones

May should follow Carrington’s way

The late Lord Carrington timed it to perfection. In 1982, when he was Foreign Secretary, he resigned on principle — without any encouragement — after Argentina invaded the Falklands. Now that this honourable and courageous statesman has passed away, Theresa May will be reminded of his noble example at the moment when she herself should resign, for the sake of her party and of the nation.
Gavin Littaur

Foreign secretaries such as Lord Carrington, Anthony Eden and Viscount Halifax represented the type of Briton once encountered by Europeans: refined and elegant.

The unlamented buffoon Boris Johnson has done the same for their successors: stag parties and thuggish football supporters.
John Cameron

Bring on age of the electric trolleybus

Your news item about the problems of battery life and recharging capacity for electric buses [“Anyone got a spare electric bus charger?” July 11] puzzled me. It overlooked the obvious solution — reintroducing trolleybuses. The London trolleybus fleet was scrapped half a century ago, yet many other cities around the world benefit greatly from still having them.

And the design of the UK-built New Routemaster buses, which already use electric motors, is charmingly reminiscent of the London trolleys of old. Why not build an amended trolleybus version as a full-blown electric vehicle?
Albert Beale

I USED to go to school on one of those smooth, quiet trolleybuses. Why not re-introduce them?
Brian Hutchinson

UK can regain its pride outside EU

AMONG the Brexiteers, is there no one in or out of Parliament with sufficient Churchillian skills in oratory to convince doubters of the perils in being inextricably bound to the EU?

It seems too difficult for David Davis, Boris Johnson and Steve Baker. Partnership with Europe does have several mutual benefits, but surely we already know how restrictive and domineering European leadership (Germany/France) can be. Do we continue to turn a blind eye, give an inch here and a yard there, and say “Peace in our time”?

During such a “Peace”, be it in 50 or a hundred years, we shall eventually be totally overruled. I, for one, refuse to believe that this magnificent nation cannot regain its strength and pride. Does not our history prove it?
Frederick Dale