No cameras, no Asbos - riot control 1970s-style

Ah, the good old days, writes Peter Rhodes. A reader who was a police motorcyclist remembers an emergency call to assist mounted police at a Blues v Villa match in the late 1970s:

"We found a mob of around 150 outside the ground throwing missiles at the police horses. Our only recourse was to join forces and charge. Under a hail of bricks, no more than 20 of us rode into the crowd who were scattered or knocked flying.

"With batons drawn, and used, riding one-handed, we inflicted summary jurisdiction, pursuing groups as far as the town centre where members of the public pointed out the offenders who tried to hide. We were cheered when we extracted 'revenge'.

"There were neither complaints, nor arrests. It was all in a day's work with no cameras, no Asbos and no recriminations."

Evening, all.