Opponents of the ban on fox hunting have scored a remarkable PR success by getting the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police to say he does not have the resources to implement it.

Peter Neyroud's comments have angered anti-hunt protesters, who understandably would now like him to meet them.

It is encouraging to have a chief constable who is unafraid of engaging with difficult issues and making the police viewpoint clear to the public.

He is worried that the measure, should it be passed by the House of Lords, would create a difficult situation for his force in rural areas.

The police in this region are overstretched, he argues, and ill-equipped to carry out the work the current Bill entails.

These points should be taken on board by the legislators and the Government.

Any law which cannot realistically be enforced is a nonsense. Money will be required.

But his suggestion that applying the hunt ban is not the "proper business" of the police sounds a jarring note.

The police are asked to apply a vast range of laws to all sorts of activities every day.

Why, given appropriate resources, should this law be any different?

As long as the resources are provided, it is up to Parliament to decide what is the "proper business" of the police force.