01/04/06

His opinion that the proposed amalgamation of the North-East police forces was a leap in the dark showed he was looking for excuses instead of, as he claimed, seeking specific answers to specific questions.

On D-Day, June 1944, some brave men did take a leap in the dark and their actions enabled Pegasus Bridge to be taken, which assisted in saving lives and helped to get rid of the worst criminal gang the world had ever seen. It was through the amalgamation of different forces that the victory was achieved.

Amalgamation means living in the real world, careful distribution of available resources, discussing and planning the best way forward, having new ideas to confront new and changing situations, offering support within the framework of a diverse corporate unity, sharing the doubts and resolutely achieving the objectives.

Councillor McLuckie should remember the saying: "He who hesitates is lost", and to lose out to well-organised criminal networks would have serious consequences for the region.

The threat of terrorism and the inflow of drugs and human trafficking will never be eliminated by an attitude that consists of solving these and other serious problems in isolation, because it inevitably leads to disintegration against overwhelming corrupt organisations.

Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.

HORSES FOR COURSES

IN Darlington we have a fixed fine of £50 if your dog fouls a pavement and you don't pick it up.

So why is it when a horse rider comes down somebody's street and the horse fouls the road nothing is said?

Can someone from the council please explain why there is a law for dog owners and a law for horse owners?

How would councillors feel if a whole load of horses came down their road or street and messed it up or are they all horse owners?

Stephen Beaton, Darlington.

ILLEGAL HUNTING

BRAVO to those contributors who continue to express their distaste, which is putting it mildly, for hunts who continue to indulge in illegal activity.

They break the law with impunity, even publicly bragging their intention to break the law.

The police seem to be totally disinterested, contrary to their total obsession with preventing miners from breaking the law in 1984.

Of course, there is no highly paid overtime in following fox hunts.

I urge those who detest fox hunting to write to their MP requesting them to help close the loopholes in the law and banish this cruelty from our countryside.

Hugh Pender, Darlington.

DARLINGTON FC

AFTER another season of underachievement I feel it is surely time for David Hodgson to seriously consider his position as manager.

It is almost the end of the season and still he hasn't got the team sorted out; the midfield is non-existent with players refusing to accept responsibility by attacking the space in front of them when they have it, instead persisting in playing easy square balls and irritating back passes.

The one midfield player who always tries to get into the opposing box, which is the danger area, is Anthony Peacock. If the supply to the front men is not there at this level they will not score.

Some of Hodgson's selections and substitutions leave a lot to be desired. He continued to select midfielders who, as previously stated, never get in the opposing box.

At the Carlisle game I couldn't believe my eyes when he took off Robbie Stockdale and left on one of the aforementioned midfielders who, as usual, was getting nowhere with his side/back passes.

Stockdale looks an extremely good defender, and when he came off Carlisle scored two more goals.

The majority of sides that have been to the Arena do look like teams in the truest sense of the word, as epitomised by Carlisle United, whereas we are a set of individuals and, as a club, we are making no headway, season after season.

D Jones, Darlington.

PROSTATE CANCER

I FIND it difficult to share Councillor Eileen Rochford's crocodile tears over the reduction in Durham City Council's funding for purely cosmetic improvements, 'Village councillors disgusted at shortfall in funding grant' (Echo, Mar 16).

It is precisely this kind of gesture politics which ignores much more serious issues, that is alienating much of the population from politics and politicians.

Last year, when trying to set up a prostate cancer support group, my letters to councillors seeking funding and support were ignored.

As Prostate Cancer Awareness Week shows, prostate cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the biggest cancer killer of men. 10,000 men across England and Wales die from it every week - one every hour. Awareness and early diagnosis is vital to survival.

It is too much to hope that our councillors might, now that the support group is meeting every month, turn their attention to this vitally important issue and give much needed funding and support?

Stafford Scholes, Secretary, North Durham Prostate Cancer Support Group.

Wearside JACK

IT is unjust that a man like John Humble, so-called Wearside Jack, should get off with such a light sentence of only eight years in prison.

He is as guilty as Peter Sutcliffe for he deliberately misled the police, so allowing Sutcliffe time to commit more murders.

Innocent people have died and families have suffered because of this man's callous actions.

The police have spent years and great expense to track him down. It will cost an enormous sum to keep him in jail. When released, be it eight or five years, who knows, he will be free to cause more misery.

Surely Humble and Sutcliffe deserve equal treatment for they are both guilty of murder and, as such, according to the law of God, which supersedes the law of man, should be put to death.

As Humble posed as a murderer, let him then die as a murderer.

We do well to consult the Scriptures for God's remedies are best and God says that those who commit murder should die. This is justice and the only effective deterrent to prevent such heinous crime.

CG Farquhar, Durham.

NOW that John Humble, the person responsible for the Wearside Jack hoax, has finally been caught and jailed, one cannot but wonder at the remarkable turn of events.

I remember in 1979 a work colleague of mine saying he thought the voice on the tape was that of an actor.

This turned out not to be the case of course, as when making the recording, Humble made no attempt to disguise his voice. He spoke with a natural Wearside accent and this enabled police to trace the locality.

Advances in DNA sampling meant the game was up for Humble and one of the most fascinating crime investigations was brought to an end.

LD Wilson, Guisborough.

DARLINGTON ACADEMY: I WAS very pleased to hear that a way forward has been obtained for the Darlington academy.

This will allow the Church of England and the local authority to develop the education it is able to offer to the children of Darlington, and in particular, the children of the Eastbourne area, whilst also allowing Hurworth to progress its future plans.

Eastbourne School has some excellent and committed teachers and pupils. By providing a new school, with state-of-the-art facilities, it will enable the staff and pupils to use these resources to provide a first-class education, while raising the standards of achievement. - Mrs Britton, Darlington.

COMPROMISE RELIEF

I AM writing to express my relief that a compromise has been reached over the Darlington academy proposals. I am sure my relief will be shared by many people, as this matter has divided communities and even families.

All our schools need now to look to the future and concentrate on educating all the young people across Darlington.

Eastbourne School is delighted that it is to become a new academy at the heart of the Eastbourne Community. We look forward to working with the Church of England in developing these new facilities, which will benefit the whole community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those teachers, parents and residents who offered their support to help us reach this goal. I have met some very dedicated people with a genuine interest in both the welfare and education of young people.

We at Eastbourne School wish Hurworth School all the best for its future and hope that we can get back to working together. - Councillor Veronica Copeland, chair of governors at Eastbourne School.

STAND DOWN

SO the whole academy farce appears to be sorted.

Both parties appear to have obtained an agreement on the way forward, fair enough.

However, this does not absolve this council of wasting a lot of Darlington council tax payers' money and abusing their position of influence over their Town Crier magazine.

Surely people like Darlington's chief executive Ada Burns should issue an apology for her remarks directed at the east Darlington villagers early in the debate, or she should stand down.

As for the Labour Party, who officiated over the debacle. You will still need to regain confidence in both political wards, or the proposed elected mayor will come breathing down your necks.

As an ex-Eastbourne pupil and parent of a Hurworth pupil, I am delighted the agreement means Hurworth stays and that the old Eastbourne School is demolished with a new school to be built.

This should have been agreed much, earlier before things became so acrimonious and the council became so detached from the people it supposedly represents. - Mark Anderson, Middleton St George.

ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION

AS a member of the academy support group, I am thrilled that a solution has been found.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and in this conflict I see that silver lining as the discovery that there are plenty of people dedicated to providing an excellent education.

However, the hard work really starts now. In particular, the support of the children, parents and community of Eastbourne is vital if the staff, governors and sponsors are to establish an academy that fulfils the vision of making a difference to the future of the young people of this area.

Since the first academies opened just over three years ago, there are those that have delivered, and those that have not.

The challenge is to make the Eastbourne academy one of the former rather than the latter. - Kevin Cooper, Darlington.