Dear Editor, There is something very perverse in forcing a police officer into early retirement and then offering him a job as an unpaid hobby bobby.

The vastly experienced officers portrayed at the House of Commons (Post, May 5) looked very fit and well and more than capable of continuing in their posts – the kind of police officers with nous, commitment and integrity in whom the public could have confidence.

What is fact, however, is that this Government has imposed cuts to our police services which will, and has, reduced the number of frontline officers on our streets.

Our own chief constable has been forced into a very awkward corner by the Cameron Government and I am certain that if it was in his own remit he would not have sanctioned the removal of experienced and fit officers from the West Midlands force.

I would expect him, of course, to make light of the situation, but I have it on good authority that because of staff shortages frontline officers are being redeployed to work in control rooms.

Not quite the “passion” for law and order that we expected from a Tory government!

Robert Betteridge,

Kings Heath