THE Lancashire Police Authority has a statutory duty to ensure that the communities of Lancashire receive an effective and efficient police service and it is because of this that we, two independent members of the authority, attended the police operation at the Warehouse as observers. A number of issues concerning that operation have been raised in your correspondence columns and we felt that it was only right that we should attempt to clarify some of them.

Many of the writers were concerned about the approach taken by the constabulary and in particular the scale of the operation. We are more than satisfied that the resources and the equipment used were correct for the police to be able to deal with any violence and minimise risks to innocent club members.

It is important to remember that the aim was to apprehend drug dealers and to allow other club users to leave the premises.

Some readers raised the issue of costs, but how can you set the cost of a police operation against the potential loss of life bearing in mind the recent publicity given to reports of young people dying from the effect of ecstasy. This, incidentally, is a drug allegedly found during the Warehouse operation.

the proposition that the operation was carried out for public relations reasons fails on the same argument, and if citizens wish to change the situation by legalising the use of 'recreational' drugs, they have a way of doing that through the ballot box and their MPs.

The police service is responsible for upholding our laws, not making them.

There were also questions raised about the choice of the Warehouse for this operation with its relatively small size, local ownership and pleasant environment. It should be remembered that the police have a duty to act when they have specific information about the sale of drugs in clubs and on this basis they had no option other than to investigate the situation at the Warehouse.

The constabulary's willingness to tackle problems in larger clubs was made clear earlier this year when some different issues were tackled at Liquid which is owned by one of the largest entertainment companies in Europe. Such decisive action is part of Lancashire's determination to make our communities safer. Senior officers have made it quite clear that they will not tolerate any laws being openly flouted. For that they deserve our praise and thanks.

Two independent members

of the Police Authority

Are we to take it then that all the strong criticisms (from many innocent clubbers) about the attitude and tactics utilised by the police on this particular raid are completely without foundation? Ed