"TAX hike to pay for extra police officers".

As an avid student of the English language, I'm curious about the grammar used in the above headline which appeared in last week's Express.

The verb 'to pay' is correct and I have no difficulty with 'tax hikes' or 'police officers'. It's the adjective 'extra' I don't quite comprehend.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary 'extra' means additional; more than is usual or necessary or expected, and that's where I have a problem. Despite skeleton staffing levels, tight budgets and ever-looming deadlines, my editor is a stickler for precision so I don't understand how this misuse of language slipped the net.

Additional: more than is usual or necessary or expected. So what level of policing do YOU expect in your neighbourhood for your current levels of taxation?

In our village we have no police presence, which I doubt matches anyone's expectation, and Wilmslow often has only two or three officers on patrol for a population of some 30, 000, therefore the word 'extra' is entirely inappropriate. It could, however, be placed at the beginning ie EXTRA TAX HIKES TO PAY FOR POLICE OFFICERS, or inserted in the middle PAY EXTRA FOR POLICE OFFICERS, but not as a quantitive adjective for 'police officers'.

Now, I'm not sure which member of the Express team was responsible for this linguistic blunder, but when my editor finds out he or she will be heading for some additional; more than is usual or necessary or expected unpaid leave.

  • THE views expressed on this page are those of Vic Barlow and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Express.