Rather depressingly your list of possible new measures suggested to quell the riots is mostly about meeting violence with violence. Why not be smarter than that. Shut down the entire cell phone network from 6pm to 2am accross the city centres and prevent the rioters from organising themselves on twitter etc.
Steve Ridley, Brighton
Yes Paul Moore, Sheffield (Tuesday's letters). Within all practicable boundaries all leave is canceled. i.e. If you're already in Australia you can usually stay there. If you're at the airport to go to Australia, that's a bit of a grey area. As for compensation, I wouldn't want to start *that* debate on here!
Steve, Edinburgh
Paul of Sheffield (Tuesday's letters), "all police leave cancelled" means exactly that. As a uniformed civilian force police officers are required to give their locations on holiday, as well as be in phone contact on their days off so they can be called in at short notice. This is part of their terms and conditions, along with foregoing the right to withdraw their labour (go on strike). Without wishing to get too political, in the 1970s the police forces in England and Wales negotiated a higher salary to compensate for just these things, which is why there is such dissatisfaction now at the prospect of cuts.
Fee Lock, Hastings, East Sussex
Paul from Cheltenham (Tuesday's letters), ever had a coffee in Italy? Years ago, I wanted to order a coffee at the San Marco square in Venice, only to discover that one cup would cost me the equivalent of 5.30 euros or £4.70. They would add an extra 25% if there was live music playing while you were enjoying your coffee. And this was 10 years ago.
Johan van Slooten, Urk, Netherlands
Why did Cameron pay that much for coffee anyway? Apparently, the cost of a shot of espresso in Italy is capped by law at a very reasonable price.
Alexander Lewis Jones, Nottingham, UK
N. Spencer (Tuesday's letters), I know it is summer and a bit warm for coats but I do feel anxious about you going out without at least a cape.
Helen, London
Dear Monitor, according to Tuesday's letters, Spider Man "is only dead in the Ultimates series, NOT in Amazing Spider Man". Does this apply to us all, or just super-heroes? Is there an alternate series in which Magazine Monitor is a self made multi-millionaire media mogul married to a martial arts black belt? Is there yet another series in which MM (God forbid) has expired? Do we need to be careful when pressing some of the more obscure buttons on our remote controls in case an alternate series is selected?
Bob Martin, Southend-on-Sea, UK