Readers' letters - May 11

The only real way to tackle the rising level of youths stabbing each other is to have patrolling police officers, on foot, talking to the public and befriending the youths.As a country and city bobby of years ago, we mixed with the public and listened to their worries. That way we often nipped crime in the bud. If police are not out on the streets, they are not connecting with the public so they have no idea of potential troublespots and therefore cannot be prepared.We forecasted, as we watched various cutbacks, that the service would become the same as the Fire Service, only turning out when needed. It has got worse than that as they now do not, on occasions, turn out to crime reports. How very sad is that?Today’s police are remote creatures who leave their stations and vehicles only when the bother has started. It is rare to see an actual foot patrol officer so, if they are not able to connect with the public, how can they know when and where there is a problem?Peter HydeAddress supplied

Betrayingthe peopleIt is a shameful state of affairs that, following the majority decision of the British electorate to leave the EU in the 2016 Referendum, we now have a doddery, unelected bunch of has-beens in the House of Lords and many Remainer politicians plotting and scheming in their deplorable efforts to sabotage Brexit as they refuse to accept the democratic will of the people. These Remainers are a disgrace for lacking the confidence in our country to operate as an independent nation, which we have done successfully for hundreds of years prior to joining the EU (previously the Common Market). They also insult the intelligence of those who elected to Leave by saying we didn’t understand what we were voting for. Of course we understood as it was made quite clear that our exit from the EU would necessitate leaving the customs union in order to trade freely with the rest of the world, protect our borders and take control of immigration, and regain our status as a sovereign nation in which we could once again make our laws in our own Parliament instead of being dictated to by Brussels. Those who are trying to derail Brexit are betraying the people of our great country and are very fortunate they didn’t live a few hundred years ago as then they would have been dispatched to the Tower of London and eventually executed for treason. If the Government disregards the wishes of the British people and fails to deliver the Brexit they voted for, they will do so at their own peril as there will be millions who, like myself, will never enter a polling station again, as what would be the use of voting in a country where democracy has died?Susan Richardson via emailCountry needs a competent leader

As expected, Corbyn’s refusal to eradicate anti-semitism from his party and his failure to condemn Putin, despite strong evidence over the Salisbury nerve agent issue, resulted in scales falling off more and more voters’ eyes. His apparent support of illegal immigrants, when most people want them out, is another example of his failure to lead. Corbyn hasn’t just peaked, he peaked over 30 years ago as a credible politician. In that time he has never held a responsible position. His only claim to fame is the number of times he has ignored his Party’s whip. The idea that he could ever be PM is risible, and the same goes for every member of his front bench. They are inexperienced, ideologically suspect and very unimpressive. Corbyn has refused five times to be interviewed on the Today programme because he knows he could not answer in detail any substantial question. He talks in sound bites and sweeping generalisations. ‘How?’ and ‘why?’ leave him flustered and tongue-tied. The country needs competent leadership and consensus, not a policy of slurs on loyal MPs. It will never get it from Corbyn and his apparatchiks. Dr Barry ClaytonAddress supplied