CLASHES between football hooligans, far right political protests and falling police numbers.

It could be an analysis of the past year’s policing challenges in the West Midlands.

But in reality, it is from the history books. 1977 and the era of Life On Mars to be exact.

Birmingham Mail Crime Files dusts down the official Chief Constable’s annual report of the year to see what policing was like 34 years ago.

------------------

“THE National Front held a number of meetings, one of which in particular, held on the occasion of the Ladywood by-lection, led to some serious disturbances,” wrote Chief Constable PD Knights in his annual report of 1977.

“Many arrests of anti-National Front demonstrators were made and a considerable amount of damage to property was committed, many police officers receiving injuries during the skirmishes. Although the meetings and demonstrations were well policed the unprecedented attitudes of the crowds created quite unexpected confrontations and for the first time in this police area, protective shields had to be issued to police officers.”

It may seem strange now when the sight of police using protective shields is more common place, but this step-change in the way police had to operate occurred within the lifetime of many readers.

The Chief Constable continued: “Society would do well to reflect on what this means to them because it is not just police officers who are being attacked – it is our whole concept of political democracy.”

The report by Philip Douglas Knights, who would lead the force from 1975-85 before being made life peer in 1987, highlighted the political upheaval the country was facing.

The National Front had risen to prominence earlier in the decade and were challenging the accepted politics of the nation. They met with staunch resistance from those opposed to their extreme politics.

And Birmingham was a battleground.

The Chief Constable stated that the attacks on the police had lowered morale and much needed to be done to protect them without turning them into “riots squads”. The fighting that took place more than three decades ago is but a dim and distant memory for those old enough to remember it, but the annual police report shows how difficult it was to deal with.