APPARENTLY, the Metropolitan Police intend to recruit "minor" criminal offenders, such as shoplifters, vandals, those convicted of drunkenness and, wait for it, car thieves.

Leaving aside the question of whether a convicted car thief is a suitable person to be a police officer, let's not forget that a couple of years ago the police service was calling for tighter regulation of the private security industry to, and I quote, "prevent convicted criminals from working as security guards".

Are the Metropolitan Police seriously saying that a convicted criminal can't be a security officer, but can be a police officer?

T. R. MILES (Mr)