I have been most disappointed at the mean-spirited attitude The Argus has shown towards the Chief Constable and his family.

Most families, when their children get into trouble with the law, do not have to face the added burden of being further exposed and vilified because of the employment of their father.

Frances Whitehouse is not responsible for her father and should not be treated harshly because of him.

Without wishing to excuse Miss Whitehouse's behaviour towards the police, it is clear to me she was the victim of the crime of domestic violence, yet it is she who was arrested and brought before the courts.

It is clear her treatment at the hands of officers attending has not always been satisfactory.

The Police Complaints Authority does not easily uphold complaints, yet in this case one officer is to face disciplinary action and four others are to receive "advice" regarding their further conduct.

The police are only as strong as their weakest link and by their failures they will, rightly, be judged. Superintendent Cox should stop defending sloppy practice and sort out his officers.

A family, on the other hand, should be judged by how it stands together in times of trouble. In this regard, Paul Whitehouse and his wife should be applauded and not be the subject of a vitriolic campaign.

-Hugo Harris, Longhill Road, Ovingdean