The growing public intolerance toward police use of violence in dealing with civil disturbances in Great Britain suggests the need to reexamine some of the tactics that have long been used, particularly the use of baton charges and mounted charges as the main methods of forcibly dispersing crowds.
The legality of the baton charge was challenged during the Orgreave riot trials, and it is questionable whether the law now permits the police to use indiscriminate force to disperse a riotous crowd. In fact, Section 3 of the 1967 Criminal Law Act probably considers force acceptable only against individual offenders who need to be subdued forcibly. Thus, the repeal of the Riot Act in 1967 has left the police with no clear power to use force to disperse a crowd. However, even if the police had the clear legal authority to use force, baton and mounted charges would be undesirable. Two methods in use in other liberal democracies are the water cannon and CS gas, although water cannons are costly, and CS gas can distribute irritants to bystanders and police as well as rioters. Nevertheless, the reality that circumstances sometimes arise in which negotiations break down must be faced. Photographs.