Sir, - John McGarry claims (Irish Times September 16th) that the Patten report recommends that the practice of displaying portraits of HM The Queen in police stations is to be discontinued. No such recommendation exists in the report.
My understanding is that that particular recommendation was excised from the report at the last minute by Chris Patten himself. Visitors to police stations in Northern Ireland will be in no doubt as to whose treasury is paying to protect society from criminality and terrorism from republicans and loyalists alike.
Since Dr McGarry has clearly not read the Patten Report, I shall take his other conclusions with a large pinch of salt also. -Yours, etc.,
Steven King, William Street, Newtownards, Co Down.