POLICE: POLICE credibility has deteriorated rapidly over the last few years. Through your paper I would like to commend Darlington police.

Last week, I was a victim of crime. I phoned the police, and within five minutes, an officer was with me.

The station switchboard operator stayed on the line until he arrived, which was a great comfort. After the incident I received a couple of courtesy calls inquiring after my well-being. Everyone I came into contact with was very kind and helpful.

They have restored my faith in the police. - Name and address supplied.

HUNTING

IN reply to Phil Townsend (HAS, Nov 24), he needs to check the validity of his own figures about hunting before criticising others.

The supposed 58 per cent in favour of hunting was a poll carried out by the Countryside Alliance, which favours hunting.

The Market Research Society (MRS), the professional body for market, social and opinion researchers, criticised the polling company for failing to ask objective questions of respondents, for failing to carry out research "objectively and in accordance with established scientific principles" and for "being guilty of conduct" which "might bring discredit on the (market research) profession".

An RSPCA poll last November clearly spelt out the facts - 76 per cent of the population wanted hunting with dogs to be made illegal. Democracy has therefore been served. - John Adams, Durham.

JOHN Milburn misses the point on hunting (HAS, Nov 23).

Firstly, this Government merely made a commitment to allow Parliament to "resolve" the hunting issue in its election manifesto and a huge majority of Parliamentarians voted against a ban.

The Prime Minister, many of his Cabinet ministers and public opinion, all favoured a licensing solution, although such a compromise, based on evidence and principle, was rejected by bigoted backbenchers.

Secondly, while Parliament may be democratically elected, it does not give them the right to steamroller through legislation which clearly acts in direct opposition to the rights of a minority. His use of language is deliberately misleading, since the outlawing of hunting will simply remove one method of killing foxes. None of the other legal methods are without difficulty from an animal welfare point of view - a fact Mr Milburn would be well aware of had he taken time to consider Lord Burns' findings.

This law is about restricting human behaviour and has nothing to do with animal welfare. It is unjust, unnecessary and unworkable. - James Bates, Spokesman for the Countryside Alliance in Durham and the North-East.

EUROPE

DAVID Whittaker (HAS, Nov 24) is astonished that so many people believe the European Union to be "the main force behind the regionalisation of Britain".

He should not be surprised. After all, regional bodies were set up by the Government primarily to negotiate the return of modest amounts of British taxpayers' money for part-funding EU-approved projects.

This was considered necessary when the Commission refused to continue dealing with local councils.

Unlike Germany, a land of principalities belatedly welded together by Bismarck into a customs union not unlike that of the EU itself, England does not divide naturally into regions.

People here identify with their towns and counties, and it's the needs of these traditional communities, not of any spurious "regions", which must be addressed.

Whether or not there has ever been a plan to "tear the UK into strips", the fact is that nine different "regions" competing over the heads of our own Parliament for a claw back of the money we send to Brussels would eventually weaken England's sense of being a unified nation.

Members of dedicated pro-EU agencies like the European Movement should stop feeding us untrue stories about our present membership status being compatible with national independence.

How can a country be independent when it isn't free to make its own laws?

As we saw in the metric martyrs case, "European" law now rules, and will continue to do so until we renegotiate our EU membership along more sensible lines.

We can make a start by refusing to endorse the proposed constitution. - Gillian Swanson, Whitley Bay.

UKIP's European Election success, the Hartlepool by-election and participation in the Regional Assembly No campaign show UKIP have arrived as a credible fourth party in British politics.

Senior politicians claim UKIP members are right-wing, disgruntled Tories.

However, UKIP membership is mainly people who have never previously belonged to any political party. People join UKIP as they have finally found a party that stands for what they believe in.

The fastest-growing group within UKIP is actually former Liberal Democrats. A eurosceptic Liberal Democrat is a contradiction in terms, however, many LibDems are people who couldn't bring themselves to support Tories or Labour but also have no ideological attachment to the LibDems. It is a party of convenience for protest voters.

Over the past two to three years, people have become aware of UKIP and found an alternative party with policies and an ideology they can actively support rather than just a party they join because it isn't the Tories or Labour.

UKIP will have a full manifesto for the General Election with many original and innovative ideas. It will, of course, still retain the commitment to withdraw the UK from the European Union.

In May 2005, or whenever the election is, don't be fooled by the big lie that the LibDems are the only alternative to Labour or Tories. UKIP is a valid fourth force in British politics and is gaining support through policies that address the problems of Britain today. - Stephen Allison, Hartlepool.

EDUCATION

I THINK a number of people would agree with Prince Charles's comments on the school system (Echo, Nov 19). The "child-centred system" he criticises is another example of a good idea that has got off track.

Child-centred education began many years ago as a system for putting the children and their different needs and abilities at the centre of teaching. Rightly so. Lessons were to be geared to match the age and academic ability of pupils, with the teacher building a guiding relationship with the class.

Sadly, the balance seems to have swung too far. Children are now so much the "centres" that, in many cases, they decide which lessons to attend and which to miss by truanting or disruption. They decide which of the school rules they will obey and which they ignore. If those supposed to be in authority try to impose discipline, they are accused of infringing pupils' rights.

As for Prince Charles's comments on no failure being allowed, this, to a degree, is true. While it is excellent to encourage children to strive to be the best they can be, the key words are "the best they can be". Not every child is a genius in every subject and pretending they are is nonsense. This is where the system has gone awry; it leans too far towards telling every child they are stars in every way. - EA Moralee, Billingham.