SIR – I am dismayed to read that Hertfordshire Police Authority believes that residents in the county would be prepared to pay an additional 15 per cent on the current �63.4million they received from council tax payers for 2009/10, the Welwyn Hatfield share being nearly �6m.
A survey of 1,800 people is only just 0.2 per cent of the adult population of the county and I would not call that a reasonable sample to claim that eight out of 10 people support the increase.
I would remind the police authority that the county council and Welwyn Hatfield Council are to freeze their council tax bills for 2010/11.
I would suggest that Hertfordshire Police Authority takes the same attitude.
It currently employs 2,157 police officers and 2,053 staff.
If savings have to be made, perhaps it would be better to reduce the number of staff by natural wastage rather than lose 200 police officers.
Doug Fanthorpe,
Via email.
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