HOW demoralising it must be for the public servants who protect us from criminals to hear what the latest Coalition cuts have in store for them.

Firstly, the prison officers got kicked in the teeth. Several hundred of them will lose their jobs after the Coalition announced that some older prisons will close.

Speaking to a colleague who is a prison officer, he tells me morale is at rock bottom, especially after the prison closure announcement.

The latest Coalition cuts to reduce the starting salary of a police officer from £23,000 to £19,000 is a real body blow to our police service.

What must add insult to injury is the demand by MPs that they deserve a 30 per cent pay rise that will take them to more than 80,000.

That’s a bit rich.

It certainly doesn’t reassure people that we are all in it together.

With prisons closing and our police being cut will we feel any safer? Maybe not.

Councillor George Dunning, Redcar and Cleveland Council.