THERE has been much discussion about Steven House’s ignominious resignation from his job as Scotland’s top cop (“House quits with vow force will learn from its mistakes”, The Herald, August 28) . Let’s look to the future. His successor must reposition the police as a service. This will involve officers abandoning the absurd culture of key performance targets, the short sleeved black shirts and the aggressive display of weapons and the apparatus of restraint. They are citizens in uniform, not a paramilitary army of occupation, a distinction which has yet to be appreciated by our Government.

Arthur Clarence,

40 Biggart Road, Prestwick.

IN May 2011 I had a letter published in The Herald opposing the idea of a national police force. I finished by saying: “We as a society could sleep walk into something that is not in our best interests.” We are now living the nightmare. I do not know Sir Stephen House. I am not in a position to judge his performance. I will say, however that whoever was appointed to this impossible post would have struggled. I will also say that his eventual successor will also struggle.

The old system worked well and was certainly not broken. If the all-powerful SNP could summon a collective modicum of common sense they would create a system of five regional police forces and hand back the responsibility for policing to local communities.

Dan Edgar,

31 Ardbeg Road, Rothesay.