I RECENTLY went out with friends for a night in Hindley town centre, after a period of avoiding the place like the plague.

The reason I have refrained from all invitations to spend an evening in the the town is because of a hooligan element who seem to think they have the right to obstruct and abuse innocent members of the public who are only seeking a good time with their friends. These mindless morons stand in pub doorways and takeaways, deliberately making it difficult for customers to enter or leave.

If anything is said to them, however courteous, it is met by a torrent of abuse.

These youths also roam around in gangs, being the brave souls they are, intimidating revellers and trying to instigate fights. So it was with much enjoyment that when I ventured out, I witnessed two police officers patrolling the town centre and giving these 'heroes' a hard time, moving them on, following them around and generally giving them a taste of their own medicine.

It was with a strange lack of verbal protests that these youths were moved from pillar to post by the officers, who at one point, rather bravely I thought, walked in to the midst of a gang of about 25-30 youths, smiling one could say with a slight malevolence, until the message seeped through in to that redundant piece of sponge these thugs have between their ears, and they moved on.

The officers continued this for some time, disappearing down side streets and emerging unexpectedly somewhere else, on occasion splitting up to do so.

Eventually the town centre was clear and people and people could go about enjoying themselves without the harassment they had previously suffered.

It was also good to see the officers sharing a joke, or answering with wry comments anything said to them by folk out for a good time.

I know resources for the police are stretched, and to provide this sort of service is not easy, but these two officers have done much to restore my confidence in the police and I would like to thank them.

Mr A Leigh

Atherton Road

Hindley