Editorial Comment:
ast month we received a rare complaint Lemail from one of our readers criticising the last article from Dave Pibworth . Unfortunately we were asked not to print the letter, but the reader did choose to hunt outanemailaddresstocopyinourLPACommander in Milton Keynes. I've reprinted the offending article here. [Note: the article did not ask readers to email
a response to the police].
A couple of hours later I received a call from Superintendent Barry Halliday , the commander himself, berating me for publishing Dave's article. An email (reprinted below) and a letter quickly followed. I wonder if Supt Halliday has ever seen or read the Phonebox? Indeed if he actually saw the article in question . He certainly doesn ' t seem to 'get ' the Phonebox and doesn't understand that Dave Pibworth is a comedy writer or that this was just the usual satirical article that he puts in our magazine, not a serious 'piece of reporting'. Most of our readers know Dave's comedy connections to Private Eye and similar. His company also produces comedy shows and represents Gaitan &Simpson (of Steptoe &Son fame), so he is not a serious reporter.
I can assure Supt Halliday that I support the police as does every right thinking person but we don't live in a police state where we cannot have some fun or indeed a laugh now and again.
Our track record in supporting the police goes back many years. Only recently we gave free space to advertise for specials and other volunteers in the force. We constantly support any initiatives that the police have and encourage the magazine to be used for the police to communicate with the public more effectively.
As for making fun re the "Ghost of Jimmy Saville' it is our magazine that broke the story of local chap Eli Ward who was abused by a member of the church many years ago when he was a teenager. That story was told to us first and printed by us first and was taken up by The Times as front page news and a two page spread. We did our bit for justice. See http://phoneboxmagazineblog.blogspot. co.uk/2013_05_01_archive.html
This magazine is part of a dwindling free press. What sort of magazine should we become if we can't print Dave Pibworth's articles for fear of upsetting somebody. I certainly don't want to become an editor of some boring life style magazine and intend to encourage our freedom to express opinions and our ability to laugh at ourselves.
So in conclusion , if anybody is upset by Dave's articles then I apologise for that and that alone. Not everything in the magazine will be liked by everybody, but I reserve the right as editor to decide what gets published, and it is me alone that makes the decision. You will find I have decided to include Mr Pibworth's article this month as usual.
So a big thank you for all the support you, the readers, have given me over the years, by visiting me in the office, emailing me, ringing me and telling me how much you enjoy the magazine.
We have a free press. Let's keep it that way. Regards, Ron Hall, Editor editor@phoneboxmagazine.com
Below: Letter to the Editor from Commander Barry Halliday Mr Hall,
54 Phonebox Magazine
Further to my call to your offices a few moments ago , I wish to place on record my extreme disappointment that you as Editor allowed this publication and article by David Pibworth to be published.
As your article indicated the Chief Constable has indeed received a reply and whilst this was very supportive of the Police action, I think it is totally inappropriate to invite readers to E mail answers to the Police directly [No email was mentioned, Ed] on what is a very poorly written piece of reporting . Members of our community can make contact with the Police at anytime in fact our Chief Constable promotes this and responds , but to invite readers to 'reply to the Chief Constable' as part of the article is
most unhelpful and a real waste of resources .
Roads Policing Officers save lives every single day, not just with enforcement action but also in educating those who act inappropriately behind the wheel, placing themselves and others in real danger . Often such fatalities are as a direct result of drink , phones , seatbelts and speed .
Officers will continue to be deployed across the entire Milton Keynes Police area to ensure we do all we can to safeguard in excess of 250 ,000 residents in our area and frankly I make no apology for that at all.
The number of officers engaged in this activity is incorrect , nevertheless a visible police presence was there