I WAS surprised at the negativity of your leading article and comment in last week's paper concerning the police community support officers (PCSOs) who were looking after the scene of the helicopter crash.

Your story follows a number of discussions with the area's press officers who ensured you were fully informed of the positive action these PCSOs had taken in being amongst the first on the scene and actively assisting the ambulance service to get the injured pilot to hospital as quickly as possible.

There seems to be criticism from your reporters and a number of other commentators on the use of PCSOs to guard the scene of the crash, there are suggestions that they are inadequately trained for this task.

I believe that the community were better served by using PSCOs rather than taking police officers away from their beats or from responding to emergency calls.

Obviously they should not have taken the photographs and they have apologised for this, but their being pilloried by the Police Federation and the local MP, at the instigation of the press seems to be a gross overreaction as I am sure the majority of your readers and the community these officers serve will see.

Chief Inspector Clive Webb, Chiltern Local, Police Area Commander