THE only reason why it has proved necessary to install CCTV cameras on problem estates is that the civil authorities collectively have failed in their primary responsibility to keep the peace and maintain civil order, so that residents, whether tenants or owner-occupiers, can experience the quiet enjoyment of their residence. It is for this, among other things, that all of us pay our Council Tax. To suggest that, in addition to putting up with unsatisfactory living conditions, the hapless occupants of our problem estates should, in effect, have to pay twice for the maintenance of a decent quality of life, is a piece of crass moral insensitivity -- and a cheek into the bargain!!

Peter Johnston

Kendal Road, Bolton