SIR: It is incredibly sad to read of the appalling behaviour of a whole unit of policemen at the Basingstoke centre engaged in investigating Serious Organised Crime, which led to the summary dismissal of five and a final written warning for one (Chronicle, January 14).

Two of the six, including the unit’s leader, a detective inspector, retired before the misconduct hearing concluded its investigations but were still found guilty and barred from ever serving as policemen again.

The constable given the final written warning joined the unit only three months before the probes were installed and was concerned about the culture he encountered; so much so that he asked for advice from his Father who was a retired long serving policeman. The chairman of the misconduct panel took the exceptional opportunity to include in the judgment that the panel’s view of the advice from this retired long serving policeman was “poor to put it mildly”.

How deeply worrying that it needed a case like this to expose the culture that has existed in this and a lot of other police forces in the country for many decades.

We are about to elect a new police and crime commissioner and I very much hope every party fielding a candidate will make absolutely sure that their candidate will hold the Chief Constable’s feet to the fire to ensure she pursues a vigorous investigation into all such behaviour in her force.

It will be interesting to read any reference to malfeasance and corruption by policemen and women in the Police and Crime Plan which the new PCC will publish soon after their election.

Michael Campbell, MBE,

Shalden Park Steading,

Shalden,

Alton