WITH high salaries, good pensions and retirement at 50, it's no wonder the police purse is running dry (Police force faces £200m deficit, August 3). What other business would allow its most experienced staff to walk out the door at 50?

Perhaps rather than throwing these officers onto the scrap heap, or into the arms of the privatised security industry, they should be offered the chance to wind down their career by moving upstairs to do the back office, intelligence work, freeing up younger officers for beat and patrol work.

I'm sure many serving officers would be happy to defer their pension to stay in the force beyond their 50th birthday. I know my late dad was heartbroken when he had to leave the force. It was like a family to him and he certainly had more good years in him when he had to retire. Karen Howes, West End Thanks for new do'

I was one of the winners of the recent Evening Times Rainbow Room Competition. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all at the Evening Times for this great prize.

I really enjoyed my afternoon in the Rainbow Room having my hair make-over, and a special thanks to Fraser for my fab new hair-do! Lillian Cumming, Via e-mail A great day out for all

On Saturday I was on Glasgow Green with my kids watching the displays. The rain was bucketing down, but everybody, including my two boys, had big smiles on their faces and were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

It reminded me of the Billy Connolly quote; "There's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes".

Well done to the organisers of the Glasgow Show. Despite the weather we had a great day out and the boys have already made me promise we will return next year. Mark Paterson, Via e-mail Plain sailing for baby

A BABY born on a lifeboat (Evening Times, August 3), it sounds like something from a Para Handy story.

Good luck to the new arrival, and his parents. I hope they can come with a suitable name to mark his unlikely place of birth. And well done to the lifeboat crew - all volunteers - for their great work. Ailsa Grant, Muirend Don't talk about trams

I'M tired of people saying the solution to Glasgow's public transport problems is to bring back the trams.

I've just come back from a week in Edinburgh and I doubt if our east coast cousins would agree that trams are a good idea. The whole city is in chaos, with roads dug up or closed off everywhere you look. Even getting to my sister's house, usually a simple 15 minute bus journey from the town, took two buses and nearly 45 minutes. What visitors make of all the mess is anybody's guess.

And looking at the planned tram route, it's obvious it will not provide a service to most city residents - they will still have to use cars and buses.

As for the ever escalating price of the system; that alone should silence any tram fans who still want to see the caurs' back in Glasgow. Eleanor Kerr, Knightswood No smoke without ire

I'M glad we haven't had a barbecue summer'. Where I live, bright sunshine brings out the louts who seem to think that a BBQ isn't complete without loud, thumping music, all-day drinking and shouting and swearing until the early hours of the morning.

And why do they always have them on a Sunday, when most folk have to get up for work on the Monday? Name and address supplied WRITE: Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Please include your name and address. E-MAIL: letters@eveningtimes.co.uk Please include postal address. TEXT: key in the word 'etletters', leave a space then send your comments to 88010. Max 160 characters. Please include your name or initials and where you're from. Texts cost 25p at all times. HOT TOPIC: Overtime should be actively discouraged

I'm sure that any money lost from the new shifts will be through the loss of overtime. Regular overtime should be actively discouraged by trade unions since it keeps others out of work and its removal is certainly no good reason to strike. Thinking ALternative, City Centre Simple: sack them

If they strike, sack 'em. Many unemployed people would be happy to get casual work with the private companies that'll need to be drafted in to clean up the mess.

Also, how about a refund of a percentage of my council tax for the period that no rubbish is uplifted ... Indigo Matt, Glasgow In feather beds

Sack the lot of them - they're lazy gits anyway.

It's about time council workers got themselves into the real world and realised that they're lucky to still be in jobs at this present time. They've been feather-bedded for far too long. Pete, Bearsden It's a dirty job

I Worked two years on the bins and it was a filthy job, while the public seemed to think we only worked mornings and then swanned about the rest of the day. These guys do a brilliant job. Kenny Deakins, via e-mail Will it make difference?

I'VE only one question about the threatened bin strike: will we really notice any difference?. Peter, Carmyle Be grateful for a job

if they're not willing to work for wages, the council might as well sack them and hire people who will.

Everyone has to adjust to the new economic environment. Some aren't lucky enough to have a job. St Monan, Glasgow The real culprits

IT wasn't the low-paid binmen who caused the financial crisis. It was the suits in the City and the economic gurus who invested council cash in failing Icelandic banks. As usual, while the real culprits walk off with their ill-gotten gains and fat pensions, it's frontline service workers who have to take the hit. Marty Boyce, via e-mail