Come on, mate, the police are allowed to get tattoos
■ Regarding Colin Simpson’s view that tattooed and bearded/stubbled police lose the public’s respect (MetroTalk, Tue), when I was a serving officer tattoos were not allowed on show. There were to be no beards, WPCs who had long hair had to have it in a bun for obvious safety reasons, and we had to wear our hat when speaking with the public. All of which I agree with.
Sadly, the service has moved on in the belief that you have to engage with the community you serve, hence Mr Simpson’s reference to the police calling people ‘mate’.
Paul, West Midlands
■ I don’t think Colin appreciates the pressure police forces are under. With the demands of Covid-19 regulations and now protests, officers are overworked, often doing 15-hour-plus shifts with few rest days. Forces are under-resourced, placing stress on officers often lacking equipment – and you’re having a go at them for not looking like Army recruits? Ian, Hertfordshire ■ I was in Aberdeen city centre and saw an individual speaking to a policeman while flicking a cigarette to the ground and the PC completely ignored it. There’s no enforcement of the Environment Protection Act, which states that it’s a criminal offence to litter in public. Instead, police leave it to council workers to pick up litter day after day – at the taxpayer’s expense.
If the litter laws were enforced, as they are in other European countries, our streets would be improved. Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen ■ I got on the Tube and there were two drunk men with no masks. Four police got on, stayed on for six stops and did nothing! British Transport Police should be ashamed. Mark, via email