As a retired police officer, I wait with interest to find out where Keir Starmer is going to find the officers to guard prisoners held in police cells because jails are full (Report, 18 August). Those being dragged out on their rest days to ensure there are no more riots were the ones at the bottom of the magic policing barrel, I believe. Policing is challenging at the best of times; there are ordinary humans behind those riot shields, and they can’t go on cementing the holes in society indefinitely.
Amanda Hurd
Halifax, West Yorkshire
• Ukip was not the first political party to hold a conference in Skegness (Five British seaside towns with hidden histories, 20 August). For at least 30 years, the Labour party held its East Midlands regional conference there every February, and I can attest to the resort’s slogan “Skegness is so bracing”. We always received a warm welcome, and it is well worth a visit by your readers.
Roy Kennedy
Chief whip, House of Lords
