Letter: Police and witchcraft
Wednesday 19th August 2009, 7:00AM BST.
Letter: According to Metro magazine police chiefs who indulge in witchcraft have been given the right to take Halloween and the summer solstice off as religious holidays.
As taxpayers who pay the police their salaries and 89 per cent of the pensions, haven’t we the right to know how many chief constables, and other police officers, are witches and how these people get appointed to such responsible posts?
On second thoughts, perhaps it’s not such a bad thing. One advantage is that broomsticks are more economical to run than police cars.
Sidney Evans
Chirk
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.

sidney: As a taxpayer payer why don’t you ask how many chief constables are islamic or hindu or jewish and take those holidays?
And why don’t you ask how those people got posted to such responsible positions?
And why don’t you make snide comments about how much cheaper a thobe is than a police uniform?
You letter smacks of bigotry and prejudice.
Report abuse
It doesn’t matter if you’re islamic, hindu, jewish or a white witch – if you are paid to a job then you should do it without letting your personal life interfere with it – and that’s goes for all!
Report abuse
Marco , I would and do want to know how many are from ethnic minority groups, and are they given special treatment in order to reach there goals. Also as for this witch craft etc clap trap if it is true as i have not seen the metro magazine then what the hell are they playing at again pc clap trap ruining the uk.
Report abuse
Do these Police Chiefs and officers work on Christian holidays then to make up for it or do they volunteer to go in on Christmas/Boxing Day and Good Friday/ Easter Sunday for double pay? As long as they don’t presume they can have these Christian times off as well then its not a problem but if they’re having them off too then it takes the micheal!
Report abuse
Andrew, who said anything about special treatment for ethnic minority groups to get ahead??? This letter is just about religious days off, or am I missing something??
Remember that witch craft and paganism was on these shores long before clap trap like the islam-judeo-christian religions. This letter is disrespectful and insults and mocks the probably only native religion of this country.
The winter solstice was usurped and commercialised as ‘Christmas’, the spring solstice was usurped and commercialised as ‘Easter’, so its about time that the summer and autumn solstice were given proper respect. (although sadly the autumn solstice is starting to be commercialised as well and each year there is more and more advertising around Hallowe’en).
Suellan: I agree with you 100% and I think that other than the bank holidays that we all get, all religious holidays should be unpaid leave.
Report abuse
Sidney Evans… Sidney hasn’t been a fashionable name for some time now, so I’m guessing that you’re of advancing years? Perhaps you’re not aware, but attitudes to religious tolerance have been slowly changing for the better since you were a nipper. It may come as a surprise to you to learn that people are now promoted into responsible roles because they’re good at their job; what they believe in is their business and nobody else’s – that includes you.
Report abuse
I’ve got nothing against acomodating relgious holiday requests, but its just not fair on us non-religious folks.
Why oh why, are non-relgious people force to take a week of their limited holiday entitlement in December when the weather is awful, just because other people want to celebrate a supernatural event in the Christian Calendar, who otherwise don’t follow Christianity?
Report abuse
And another thing. Why is the picture of a ceramic Dick Whittington with the caption ‘Evenin’ all’?
Don’t tell me police chiefs are following the phophetic teaching of Dick Whittington as a religious cult?
Report abuse
I think that’s fairly obviously a witch
Report abuse
Lucy perhaps you should take up a faith, i took up smoking just so i could get a fag break, now i smoke cigars because it makes my fag breaks longer.
Report abuse
pointy hat, black cat and a broome stick, definatly dick whittington
Report abuse
As an ex Police Officer, if I was told I was working on Christmas Day, or at Easter, then that was it. I had to work, no choice given.
Report abuse
Lucy W: Since when is Christmas a religious Christian day? I thought it was all about sales and presents and santa and elves and stuff.
What supernatural event are you referring to, because there is nothing supernatural at all about a birth? Easter on the other hand…
Report abuse
So we realy want some ali bongo in charge of our police force it is mumbo jumbo rubbish, izzy whizzy get me out of here.
Report abuse
Andrew: The police apparently use psycic’s when they don’t have a glue – which I imagine keeps the psycics very busy.
Report abuse
I agree, i would much prefer our police officers to worship a zombie carpenter from long ago!
Report abuse
I have not read Metro magazine and have no wish to do so. I would however, hazard a guess that out of the 43 Chief Constables in this country, not one is a witch or anything remotely like one. A “Police Chief”, in the parlance of the media can be any rank of copper from Chief Inspector upwards. That throws the net much wider, in fact there must be possibly two thousand or so officers in the rank of Chief Inspector and upwards.
Out of this lot, there is most likely at least one witch. What a daft letter to start with.
Report abuse
A non-christian police officer can elect what days they wish to nominate as days special to their religion,if that is the case then they work Christmas Day, Easter etc as ‘ordinary’ working days and are paid at enhanced rate if they are required to work on their nominated days.Nothing difficult to understand nobody is getting one ovr on anyone else.
Report abuse
Yes but stuart not many may be witches, but how many stand on one leg with a blindfold on and whats the leader of that group called?????
Report abuse
Superintendent?
Report abuse
Now, you are getting somewhere nearer the truth Andrew and Baz, you are almost but not quite there. I would say that based on their current and recent past performance, those that stand in a corner on one leg with a blindfold on and sucking a thumb – these collectively are known in the jargon as “Senior Officers”, these would include Chief Inspectors, Superintendents, Chief Superintendents and Assistant Chief Constables, the leader of this group of course is a Chief Constable but he doesn’t personally suck his own thumb, he has a Staff Officer to do that for him who also put’s on his blindfold for him when there is something unpleasant to do like responding to calls for assistance or policing the streets.
Few if any coppers are “witches”, as far as I know, “witches” can perform “spells” and “miracles”, I have yet to see or hear of any copper that could do those things but in the remote chance that there is one witch out there and you can perform miracles, please resurrect a few coppers from the dead and put them back on the streets.
Report abuse
What’s all this talk of witchcraft amongst the senior ranks of the police? I was always told that the rank system in the police is in reverse, you have the Chief Constable thinking he is God and the PC who is in essence God. :-)
Report abuse
I have just sat here reading these comments and it STILL astounds me, that people are still narrow minded and make slapdash opinions without fully being aware of their facts. Paganism was here first and whatever Christianity has led people to believe, the truth is they painted Paganism as some ‘evil’ religion, when in truth it isn’t. I agree with Marci on every point and if the likes of Andrew and Sidney want to paint themselves as ignorant and uneducated idiots, then be my guest, but I would suggest that you go away, get a life and read a book on Witchcraft and Paganism, instead of being spoonfed by the country’s circus media and making idiotic and disrespectful comments!
Report abuse