I am writing in response to J Corbett's letter on August 14 headlined "Police can deal with drunks."

I would like to reassure J Corbett and the wider public that, far from "bleating about inadequate powers" the police in Chippenham are regularly arresting those who have consumed too much alcohol and then act in a disorderly manner.

I believe that it is also right that we consider a range of options to address the problem, a bylaw in relation to drinking alcohol in public places being only one of those options

Others are an effective Pubwatch scheme and a good CCTV system.

I would suggest that the old adage "prevention is better than cure" still holds true.

Addressing this problem will enable my officers to deal with other areas of criminal activity.

I am confident that my staff are "doing the job that they are paid for" and I know they are keen to remove from the streets of Chippenham that small minority who are drunk and offensive to others.

Neil Bagnall

Inspector

Chippenham Police