With reference to The Argus's front-page article (November 29), there have recently been several incidents involving firearms, most notably the tragic case of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky.

While I appreciate the police have a difficult job to do, what I fail to understand is that, in all of these incidents, the crime scene is immediately swamped with armed police officers - after the event.

What do the police think it is that is going to happen after the crime, which necessitates these resources being used?

This country needs discreetly-armed police officers back on the beat, rather than the pointless exercise of heavily-armed officers arriving after the shooting.

Our streets have become lawless without the visible deterrent of police back on the street.

-Paul Johnston, Hove