Letter: Don't blame police

Sir: Your report (3 May) on the arrest of a suspect following the bombings in London described him as aged 22 and an engineer.

An engineer is someone who has completed an accredited engineering degree course of at least three years, then a two-year apprenticeship followed by at least two years of experience in an engineering post of significant responsibility. All other routes to become an engineer take longer, so it is impossible for anybody aged 22 to reach that status. The suspect may be a mechanic; he may be a fitter or a machinist. But he cannot be an engineer.

Imagine the protest that would come from professional bodies if someone charged with a crime were described as a doctor when actually he was a medical orderly or as a barrister when he was a clerk. "Engineer" should be a legally protected title.

A H LYONS

Chartered Engineer

Sherborne, Dorset