In our discussion on whether the police did the right thing in giving a "haircut" to the 11 people whom they arrested for allegedly gambling, we should not fail to raise a more basic question: "Why did the police arrest these old men in the first place?"

What was the crime that they were committing? In what way were they a menace to society that warranted the use of overstretched police resources to arrest and haul off these harmless old men, in chains, to the police lock-up?

At a time when police lock-ups are severely overcrowded, was there really a need to extend police hospitality of a one- night's stay at their facilities - with a free hair cut, to boot - to these 11 gentlemen?

Good management is about efficient and responsible use of scare resources. The office-in-charge of the police station that conducted this operation seems to have a poor idea of how to use scarce resources, paid for with the taxpayers money, to ensure peace and security in his or her police district.

At a time when our streets are becoming dangerous with muggings, robbery, and even murders, when house break-ins are a daily occurrence, it looks ridiculous that a whole team of police personnel were deployed to bust this "gambling den" of a few old men whiling away some time in a harmless game of mahjong. I would urge the police to seriously reconsider their sense of priorities - after they have grasped some fundamentals of human rights.

The police have many powers; the power to shave a detainee's head may well be one of them. But it is in how this power is exercised which distinguishes a mature, responsible police officer from a petty bully who abuses his or her power.