I WRITE in response to the article Clueless (Oxford Mail, March 12).

I find the reporting of this issue, and in particular the front page headline, to be irresponsible, unbalanced, condescending and particularly offensive to the police officer pictured on the front page.

You have caused considerable distress to him and his family.

The juxtaposition of the headline “Clueless?” with a picture of one of my officers crouched next to cannabis plants is done in such a way so as, at first glance, to imply that it is the officer who is clueless.

Within that same front page placement you refer the reader to two separate articles on pages two and five. These articles bear no relationship to each other.

The latter, which relates to the seizure of cannabis, in my view, does not have significant enough placement in the paper to justify its inclusion on the front page.

It is even more disappointing that it was our Neighbourhood Policing Team who invited your reporter and photographer to join them in the drugs raid covered on page five.

I fully support the media criticising the police service when we deliver a poor or unsatisfactory service to the public or when we blatantly get things wrong. In these circumstances we apologise and do all we can to ensure that we get it right in the future.

The main article on page two rightly identifies that we have more work to do to improve our detection rates in serious acquisitive crime.

However, what it fails to point out are the quite impressive reductions in offences of robbery, burglary and car crime – 3,000 less victims within the force area, 900 in Oxfordshire.

On this occasion the Oxford Mail has caused considerable offence and distress to the officer pictured on the front page.

Chief Supt Brendan O’Dowda, Oxfordshire BCU Commander, St Aldate’s Police Station, Oxford