I was sorry that Paul-John Harris (Letters, April 19) should have chosen to be so gratuitously offensive about Police Community Support Officers.

Their powers - which are far greater than he implies - are defined by statute and delegated downwards by the chief constable.

While they do not have the power of arrest, they do have the power of detention. This is an advantage, not a drawback.

When somebody is arrested, the arresting officer has to accompany the detainee to the police station and fill in vast quantities of paperwork imposed on the police by successive Governments.

The effect is that the arresting officer is off the beat for the rest of his or her shift and not out protecting the public. It is thus overwhelmingly the Government's own fault that there are insufficient police on the beat.

These officers, however, can remain on the beat for all of their shift because they are not burdened with the requirement to be Government form-fillers.

The residents and traders that I speak to every day in St James's Street have taken them to their hearts and have welcomed them into the area.

They are sorely missed when they are not there. They form an essential part of the package of measures needed to tackle the problems in our area.

The term "community" in their title reflects what we demand of them and what they in turn demand of themselves. More please.

-Dr Alan Bond, St James's Action Group