His controversial predecessor having left for new and richer pastures, Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Francis Habgood claims that the public, following the Operation Bullfinch scandal (as if it were only that), “still” has confidence in the force.
Perhaps it would have a little more faith if, after more than 500 police – some drafted in from South Wales and Kent, and quite a few on horseback or in vans – had been deployed to keep two bunches of rival demonstrators apart, they had made a greater effort to ensure that the city centre’s businesses, not only pubs, were able to carry on as usual.
Having seen countless officers chatting and laughing (all the way to the bank?) in and around Bonn Square, I was amazed to discover that the Penny Farthing Place entrance to the Westgate Centre was shut on police advice or orders, apparently. Easter visitors to Oxford will have drawn their own conclusions.
DAVID DIMENT
Riverside Court, Oxford
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