Police go the extra mile

SOCIETY expects police officers to be as helpful as possible in an emergency - but Tim Walker went beyond the call of duty when he discovered a burning block of flats at Trimley.

It would have been perfectly understandable if the 40-year-old constable had waited for the arrival of the fire service, who know exactly what to do in these circumstances, when he saw the flats on fire.

But Mr Walker was determined to do all he could to help anyone trapped by the fire, climbed a ladder and roused a resident who was fast asleep on the sofa.

He then guided him down the ladder - clearly helping to save his life.

For that Mr Walker deserves the highest praise from the society that he helps to protect - in a very real sense he made a great difference.

There is someone alive in our Suffolk community today who might be dead were it not for the officer's determination to do his duty.

What is gratifying in this part of the world is that our community knows that Mr Walker is not an exception - time and again our police officers have shown that they are prepared to go the extra mile to help people who are in real trouble.

It is their actions which help to make Suffolk one of the safest and most attractive places in the country to live and work.

ANY proposal to build a new community of 1,600 homes is bound to upset someone, but the new village set to be developed at Martlesham looks like the best possible scheme for the area around Ipswich.

Being linked to Adastral Park means there are employment opportunities literally at the bottom of the garden of the homes that would be built - and there is a good major road infrastructure already in place.

It would also relieve the pressure on ancient villages like Westerfield which fear that their heritage could be swallowed up by a new development.

The presence of such a huge new development at Martlesham might also encourage the planners at Suffolk Coastal to look again at proposals for thousands of new homes at Trimley or Felixstowe.

With the credit crunch biting and thousands of new homes going up just five miles away it would certainly be right for a reassessment of whether such a massive expansion of the resort is really needed.

WHEN Levi Roots was invited to Asda in Ipswich to promote his new Reggae Reggae Cookbook, many people were looking forward to meeting the cook who was such a hit on Dragons' Den.

In any event of this type, there has to be an element of planning - and on Saturday the whole event collapsed because in the final analysis there had been a breakdown in communication about the last part of his journey, from the railway station to the store on the edge of the town.

It must have been as frustrating for Mr Roots to be left waiting at the station as it was for his fans waiting for him to turn up at the store - everyone will hope that he does eventually make it to Ipswich and that he likes what he sees here!