Paul Harris (August 2) agrees with me, then sidesteps, ignoring Mr Johnston’s hints in his first letter, claims that no financial assistance has been sought or given to Johnston’s campaign.

Regarding his support for his candidate for [police] Commissioner, I am chavy and the electorate should also be of Pavlovian conditional responses inherent in long-term exposure to the service which Paul Harris extols as a commendation. I’m chavy, too, of claims of independence and of any person’s ability against that background to surmount the associated baggage. Nor should this new post of Commissioner be treated as a further progression for police officers, but rather as a civilian head of a public service to which professional skills, legal experience and judgement can be applied. The latter are a necessary prerequisite and further open to transparent criteria by which the public can judge the suitability of a candidate before and after election, rather than the generic nebulous one of independent.

Samuel H Boyd, Narberth Crescent, Cwmbran