Sir - Emma Starkeys disturbing experience reported in the Worcester News in which on calling 999 she was advised to get a taxi to escape a suspected stalker poses big questions over the ability of the police to allocate resources.

Whether it was a unique to that occasion, or simply poor judgment on the part of the call handler not giving it higher priority or reflective of a bigger systemic deficit in cash is unclear to me at least and I have no doubt that all police officers would want to attend and deal with such situations.

But policing numbers have dropped and there are to be many thousands of officers cut across the country during this parliament. Something which should worry all communities.

Also the Commissioner for CCTV has expressed disquiet that local authorities are switching off cameras as a means of saving cash. All extremely bad news for public safety and detection of crime and calls into question the Prime Ministers pre election statement that he would not put up taxes and money is best left in voters pockets than be spent by goverment as if he were a generous father giving a child some extra pocket money.

What good is it letting voters pay less in tax than the wider interests of the community need ? Rolling back the state on an ideological and electorally opportunistic approach is irresponsible.

Surely on a whole range of matters taxation is the only reliable means to fund the essential facets of living in a safe and civilised democracy and that would also include national defence itself stripped back to virtual dads army levels compared to the 1980s and with regular reports of Russian aircraft having to be nudged away from our coast as a reminder of just how relevant it is.

Without funding civil and national security properly we are all in danger.

Andrew Brown

Worcester