Letters - December 13, 2018

The Prison’s Minister has said we can’t afford to jail more offenders.

I feel we have capitulated on the rule of law, with scooter robbers, knife-wielding gangs and drug dealers taking over the streets.

The police have given up and the courts are more interested in keeping criminals out of prison.

We need to increase the size and quantity of our prisons. A new maximum security jail for life sentence prisoners would relieve the pressure on local prisons.

In order to fund the system more efficiently, prisoners should be put to work.

The social experiment of rehabilitation has not worked and more effort must be made on payback. Why should prisoners have pool tables, televisions, radios, libraries and other benefits?

They are looked after far better than many elderly people living in care, this is so wrong.

Scott Andrews

Address supplied

CRIME

No one’s tackling burglars round here

I am writing as a shop keeper in Cleveleys and my shop was broken into two Thursdays ago.

I have been aware of the rate of break-ins at shops on Victoria road West over the past few weeks rising fast.

Boots have been broken into two times, Poundbakery, the working men’s club and Superdrug again.

No matter what defences are put in place they are still breaking in.

The police are well aware and have not upped their patrols, nor respond quickly.

You never see the police regularly, even in the day time, and at night they’re nonexistent.

I thought I would write as no one seems to be doing anything.

Gareth Robb

Via email

TRANSPORT

Train failure led to job training misery

I’m unemployed. I paid to go on a course in Manchester, but this never happened - thanks to Northern Rail.

The train left from Blackpool North then got to Preston , where we waited 15 minutes for the driver to turn up for his work.

I was then told that the train wouldn’t be going to Manchester airport.

When the train arrived at Manchester Oxford Road we were told the train would not be stopping at Manchester Piccadilly.

I headed back to Blackpool and went on a journey for nothing.

Louise Ferguson

Via email

HEALTH

Action needed to tackle obesity

It is very concerning that we are still seeing rising levels of obesity, given the serious cost to our health that this brings.

Rather than seeing improvement, there is in fact, an overall increase in levels of obesity, particularly among women, with children of obese parents three times more likely to be obese themselves.

Almost two-thirds of adults and nearly a third of children in England are either overweight or, worse, obese. The Government must, without delay, place far greater restriction on junk food marketing and introduce a simple standardised approach to food labelling.

In addition, the Government needs to underpin efforts by local authorities to increase active travel, make the best use of green spaces, and halt the growth of fast food outlets.

The data also shows that strong action is needed on smoking and alcohol, as highlighted in our recent report which showed the significant contribution smoking and drinking make to preventable ill-health and a higher prevalence of cancer, liver disease, heart disease and strokes.

The BMA has long been calling for the Government to make the population’s health a priority by investing in services to reduce smoking, alcohol consumption and those which promote physical activity and a better diet. This is hugely important and will ultimately save people’s lives by cutting the number of those dying early from preventable ill-health.

Prof Dame Parveen Kumar

BMA board of science chair