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Police were brilliant

At A time when Swindon to police seemed to be getting a kicking in these pages, why not a bit of good news?

My wife was burgled on Saturday night. It was an opportunist theft with no collateral damage, just a bedside jewellery box full of memories, bracelets, necklaces and rings mostly gold and mostly of no huge value.

We informed the police, largely to establish whether this crime fitted any pattern within Abbey Meads.

I did try to tell them not to bother too much, but they were having none of it. Their message … housebreaking is taken seriously in Swindon!

Two constables arrived on time, were extremely polite, supportive, and gave good security advice.

During the interview they called up a mobile forensic unit, who arrived after 15 minutes. They undertook a full house to house. They left having completed a competent investigation, with detailed statements, and a promise to get the “Bobby Van” to visit and provide further practical advice on security improvements.

After three days we were told they had made an arrest.

Coincidentally, on the Tuesday, Police Commissioner Angus Macpherson had a rough ride at Haydon Wick Council, mostly about renegade 14-year-olds, engaged in today’s rather nastier version of “Knock door, run away.”

There is a limit to what the police can practically do where juveniles are involved.

Perhaps parents might take more responsibility rather than an overburdened police and demonstrate more effective parenting skills?

JOHN STOOKE, Haydon End, Swindon

Don’t threaten us

May I thank T More for his kind words and thoughts (Adver September14). May I reciprocate them.

I imagine his letter had the Remoaners’ faces looking like they had chewed a nippy sweetie, as they say in Glasgow.

The latest load of rubbish to come from the nobody from nowhere, namely Jean Claude Juncker, who had the cheek to call it the State Of The Union Address, is the biggest load of nonsense I have read, since at a meeting of The Liars Club, when George Bush told Tony Blair he had rowed up Niagara Falls. Blair replied, ‘I know George, I watched you.’ That is a joke.

But this jumped-up pip-squeak wasn’t joking. More immigration and expansion, including another six countries from the Western Balkans.

All European Disunion countries to join the Euro. A fully fledged European army. A new President of Europe in charge of them all.

Is that why Treacherous Tony is currying favour with this nincompoop? Plans for a European Disunion corporation tax and VAT rates. Member states will no longer get a veto over this outrage.

I thought we voted years ago to join a common trading market.

Juncker then declared we will soon regret Brexit. I suspect they will regret it more than we do when the British financial milking cow moves to pastures new.

My reply to the Disunion Dictators is this: No threats to the British nation will succeed in making us change our minds on Brexit.

The courage of the free men and women of this island to stand up and be counted has been proven on many occasions in our history.

Finally, I cannot wait for the replies from the Remoaners regarding their case for staying in this corrupt cabal and their justification of these non-democratic diktats.

BILL WILLIAMS, Merlin Way, Covingham, Swindon

Help beat disease

This September is Women And Heart Disease Awareness Month at the British Heart Foundation, a cause I feel extremely passionate about.

On September 20 I was officially announced as a BHF Ambassador, marking the occasion by spending the morning at The William Harvey Heart Centre, Queen Mary University of London, where the BHF funds life saving heart research.

I spoke with BHF researchers at the university about research they are doing into pre-eclampsia, the leading cause of death worldwide for women during pregnancy, and heart transplant rejection.

This research is of particular interest me to as my mother was previously diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.

It is estimated that globally about 76,000 pregnant women die each year from pre-eclampsia and related hypertensive disorders. While at Queen Mary’s I also met various women who are fighting a daily battle with heart disease.

These women included Bina Ghelani and her baby Aarya. Bina was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia when she was 32 weeks pregnant with Aarya. Thankfully they both made a full recovery but this is something no family should have to face.

It’s a very sad reality that coronary heart disease remains the UK’s single biggest killer. It kills twice as many women as breast cancer.

In the south west there are 640,000 people alone living a daily battle with cardiovascular disease. And 14,880 lives are lost every year in the south west because of these devastating conditions.

But there is hope. The BHF currently funds 85 research projects at Institutions across south west to help fight this heartless disease.

I’d like to encourage all south west readers to help fund the BHF’s life saving research this September by donating any unwanted items to your local BHF shop.

I have already donated a bag of my unwanted items to the BHF’s Bag It Beat It campaign, their annual stock donation campaign this month, so you all must.

The BHF has a one million bag target throughout the month. Your donations really are lifesavers.

For more information on the BHF and their Bag It Beat It campaign visit www.bhf.org.uk/bagit.

To book a free collection call 0808 250 0024.

THE DUCHESS OF YORK, Ambassador for the British Heart Foundation

Ban trail hunting

IF YOU visit a National Trust ‘mansion’ you will probably see paintings of red-coated horsemen encouraging hounds in pursuit of a fox or deer. The hunting and killing of animals still goes on in some areas despite being illegal.

The National Trust issues licences to fox, stag and hare hunts. Last year, the trust issued 79 licences that enabled hunts to engage in trail hunting.

Trail hunting is an activity which the hunts claim is hunting by following a pre-laid trail. It is not intended to involve the chasing and killing of live animals but, all too often, it does.

The National Trust for many years could justifiably claim to be custodians of Britain’s past glories, but to continue to allow hunting on their land is retrogressive and highly regrettable. Hunting is not glorious. It is cruel. It is a piece of history that belongs in the past.

Does the National Trust really intend to allow this? As Victor Meldrew would say, “I don’t believe it.” Neither do I. And neither will thousands of trust members.

So to your readers that are National Trust members and are eligible to vote, if they agree with me that hunting belongs in the past, they can vote on a motion submitted by more than 50 National Trust members and supported by the League Against Cruel Sports, which if passed, will ban trail hunting on National Trust land.

More information can be found here: www.league.org.uk, online and postal votes must both be received by the National Trust by 23.59 on Friday, October 13.

BILL ODDIE, President League Against Cruel Sports

Support left-handers

FURTHER to Wiltshire police and their spiffing new LGBT epaulettes, I’d like to make a complaint.

Depending on which survey you believe there are between 1.5 per cent and seven per cent of the population who describe themselves as gay yet they have a massive and disproportionate amount of support and visibility in the UK.

You can’t even watch the adverts or programme trailers without some same sex couple snogging (yawn!).

I am left handed. We make up about 10 per cent of the population, yet I don’t see Wiltshire police wearing epaulettes to show support for me.

What about golfers? Anglers? Trombone enthusiasts? Stamp collectors?

There are countless other ‘minority’ groups of one kind or another so I hope the police have ordered lots of other pointless shoulder patches so no one else feels left out.

The trouble is, we keep our mouths shut. We don’t go on silly marches. We don’t feel our lifestyles are that important. What a shame the LGBT community and the police can’t be the same.

ROGER LACK, Swindon

Group not special

I AM writing this on both mine and my wife’s behalf on the subject of the police wearing rainbow epaulettes to show support for the LGBT community.

We believe Chris Gleed’s letter (20/9) summed it up very well with the various points that he made.

The people who present themselves under the umbrella ‘LGBT’ are not special, they are just different, and deserve no more special treatment than we do.

FRED STOCKING, Wroughton