COLIN Richey says he relishes the fact in a free country that we all have our own points of view on certain subjects, Let's just accept our difference in opinion, Points of view, March 13.

He may believe there is nothing wrong in hunting foxes and stags for sport, but his personal view is unimportant as we all have a duty to respect the law. People may campaign for the law to be changed, but no one has a right to advocate that the Hunting Act 2004 is ignored.

Although Mr Richey states that there is nothing more emotive than hunting, he then goes on to claim that the police have far more pressing duties than worrying about hunting.

Last Friday, Christopher Marles, the former whipper-in of the East Devon Hunt, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, at Exeter Crown Court, for assaulting Mrs Helen Weeks of Protect Our Wild Animals, Whipper-in jailed for horse attack on hunt monitor, Echo, March 14. This case involved considerable police time and three court appearances.

Contrary to the views of Mr Richey, it appears clear to me that unless the police enforce the Hunting Act, they will end up spending far more time and resources on dealing with public order offences involving assault on those who monitor hunts to protect our wild animals.

I have personally been assaulted and insulted on several occasions when endeavouring to obtain photographic evidence of unlawful hunting with hounds for sport.

I recall that for many years, before enactment of the ban on hunting, the police had no difficulty in marshalling resources to deal with hunt saboteurs.

Indeed, in May, last year, I complained to the Oxford University Press that Blackstone's Police Manual 2008 omitted all reference to the Hunting Act, but cites saboteurs disrupting a fox hunt as an example of a contravention of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

In my view, it is not unlawful to disrupt an unlawful activity and I understand that future editions of Blackstone's will be corrected.

John Phelps

Argyll Road, Exeter

(by email)