I AM old enough to remember when it was not uncommon for public figures to resign in the face of failures in areas for which they were responsible. One memorable example being Lord Carrington, who resigned as Foreign Secretary, following Argentina’s seizure of the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982.

More recently the narrative and sense of responsibility has changed somewhat, and we now have examples of public figures expressing regret for problems but asserting that they will “learn from the mistakes and move on”.

In the case of the mayhem at Bournemouth and Sandbanks on June 24 and 25, no one appears to be taking responsibility and clearly no one learnt any lessons from the similar situation we all experienced on May 30-31?

Instead we have heard a lot of verbal handwringing and complaints about lack of resources, but absolutely nothing that gives me any confidence that when we have another spell of hot weather, while people are still furloughed and Covid-19 is still a serious health danger, that things will be handled differently by national or local government or indeed the police?

JENNIE PATERSON

Salter Road, Poole