I SEE in the Journal that our PCC, Mr Angus Macpherson, has been awarded an MBE, an award for an outstanding achievement or service to the community etc. I congratulate Mr Macpherson, but would ask what ‘significant impact’ there has been to the residents of Salisbury, other than the following.

In a Salisbury Journal recently I noted that Insp Sparrow stated that the problem of the drunks in Salisbury was difficult to control due to their numbers and the lack of officers available to deal with them. In that same Journal, there was an article stating that a drunk woman was arrested for assaulting an officer and conveyed to Melksham custody suite as of course, Salisbury city does not have one since the closure of Wilton Road Police Station. I understand that the lady concerned was cautioned (not charged!).

I now see the cunning behind no custody suite in Salisbury. If the lady had been taken to a local custody suite she would have been back on the streets in no time rather than the time it took to Melksham and back. With respect to Mr Macpherson, the lack of facilities in the Salisbury area have been rather like a running sore ever since he took office. Is this the ‘significant impact’ referred to in the Journal.

Whilst I am on my soapbox – and I can’t blame Mr Macpherson for this as I believe he is aware of the problems with the 101 systems. Only yesterday (July 6) I had occasion to telephone 101 as I wished to report a matter, but when I eventually got an answer and explained to the lady my problem. I was told quite bluntly that there were no witnesses to what I was reporting (other than myself and my wife!), ‘it is your word against the other party’s, therefore the Police can do nothing!

It took me several hours to calm down enough to phone 101 again and, after some insistence, I was able to make my report to someone who understood police work. Is it me or did the Wiltshire Constabulary work perfectly well when it was controlled by a Chief Constable assisted by serving police officers who had good local knowledge of their ‘patch’ – I could go on but think that the letter in the Journal of July 6 written by Mr Richard Maples just about sums it up.

David Fisher, Salisbury