Easiest to go from bad to worse

The policing role is a very important and determinant one in approaching mob mentality. Excerpt from a documentary hosted by Danny Dyer about different policing approaches. The English hooligans have already made a bad name for themselves such as now ordinary people suffer.

In the European Championships of 2000 an incredible 900 were arrested in Belgium, joint hosts of the tournament with Holland. It may have been the first tournament of the XXIth century, but the Belgian police used tactics more suited for the Middle Ages.

(crowd psychologist  dr. Cliff Stott:) "Those who experienced it were all telling tales about highly indiscriminate, highly aggressive forms of policing"

(ex-hooligan Gilly Shaw:) "Well, the Old Bill was the most heavy-handed I've ever seen in Belgium. They were nicking everybody and anybody"

"A group of England fans were herded through the city center, pushed into a pub and then the police fired a tear-gas canister into a crowded pub containing people who'd already been drinking in that pub prior to anybody coming in who had been involved in violence."

"There were people who were just having a drink in there. I was sat next to an american lad and a russian geezer"

"Now that kind of indiscriminate police response is a contributing factor towards the escalation of disorder and the continuing violent practices around England lads"

This was demonstrated when a cocktail of aggressive English and German fans and heavy-handed policemen resulted in the infamous "battle of Charleroi". "That fight involved no more than 10-20 people. Within minutes the Belgian police had driven a water cannon into the square and fired it at almost every area within the square. And when that happens you see a change in ordinary fans' mentality, such that they start to say Wait a minute, why are you having a go at me? I haven't done anything wrong and then they start to feel on the same side as that person who's seeking to create conflict with the police. And it creates an opportunity for that group to unite in opposition to the police that otherwise wouldn't have been there."

In contrast, Belgium's co-host, Holland, only arrested 6 English fans at the game they hosted in Eindhoven. "The England fans met a very very positive response from the dutch police who grasped the now in 2000 to promote a festive atmosphere, and they did it by developing a new form of policing that wasn't confrontational." The tactic was to mingle with the fans and nip any problems in the bud with a softly-softly approach. "And because they had already interacted with the people they didn't have any hesitation to go out and say Look, hang on a minute, you're starting to get out of control here. Unless you stop we're going to have to arrest you. And it was through communication, through action that the limits were set and the limits were kept and, more importantly, were respected by the fans."