Merely Players by J. M. Gregson Page A

worried by this modern tendency towards aggression in his interviewer. He was never at a loss for a platitude. ‘There is an unfortunate tendency in modern society to resent any form of authority, Gerry. Police officers suffer from that, as do teachers and anyone who has to enforce the rules. But I assure you, there would be chaos without us.’
    â€˜I think everyone accepts that, Mr Tucker. Otherwise we shouldn’t be paying millions of pounds each year for your services. But some of us have begun to wonder whether that money is being well spent. We have more police officers each year. If we take account of the huge amount of what was formerly police work but which is now being done by civilians, we have almost twice the number of officers we had ten years ago. And yet the clear-up rates for so many crimes seem to get not better but steadily worse.’
    Behind his professionally calm exterior, T.B. Tucker was trying hard not to panic. They should have warned him that the man intended to say things like this. But he could hardly say that now. ‘Oh, I’m sure that if you compare like with like and examine the real figures—’
    â€˜What would you say is the crime which besets and worries most people in their daily lives, Mr Tucker?’
    â€˜Well, I’m sure that you’d get a variety of—’
    â€˜Burglary, Mr Tucker. The criminal most likely to affect most people’s lives is the burglar. I should have thought you might have known that.’
    A titter among the audience, alerting Tucker to the fact that things were moving against him, that in this bear-pit he was the amateur and Clancy the professional. He cleared his throat. ‘In the modern climate, where terrorism and all sorts of other violence threaten our society, burglary has necessarily assumed a lower profile than in former years.’
    â€˜Indeed it has, Mr Tucker. It is an increasingly attractive proposition for our youth, many of them hooked on the illegal drugs you also seem unable to control. If I were a young man with no morals and in need of quick money for drugs, I should consider burglary a very easy option. Especially in view of the fact that well over eighty per cent of burglaries go undetected.’
    Laughter and applause, this time. Gerry Clancy let it run for a moment, then held up his hand, signifying to his audience that he wanted the chief superintendent to have a fair opportunity to refute this view. Tucker smiled a superior smile. ‘Statistics can be very deceptive, Gerry.’
    â€˜And in what respect is this particular one deceptive, Chief Superintendent?’
    Tucker sighed, then offered the patient smile which was meant to convey that mere amateurs couldn’t expect to understand these things. ‘One has to allocate resources economically. Burglary is one of the pettier crimes, you know. It cannot always be accorded a high priority.’
    This time there were murmurs of discontent in the audience, many of whom had suffered from this crime. Clancy nodded thoughtfully. ‘So the public just has to accept that even a much enlarged police service is incapable of dealing with petty crime.’
    Tucker’s smile was now covering an increasing desperation. ‘I did not say we were incapable.’
    â€˜No, you didn’t admit to that. Then are we to presume that you choose to neglect burglaries, Mr Tucker?’
    â€˜We have to allocate resources, Mr Clancy. It is part of every senior police officer’s duty to decide on priorities.’
    Gerry Clancy turned directly towards his audience. ‘And it seems that this particular senior officer chooses not to prioritize the very crime which every survey shows the citizens of Britain find most disturbing. Food for thought there, certainly.’ He shook his head solemnly, then let his face light up. ‘But now to happier things. It is time for us to meet the actor who was last year voted Britain’s