The police came prepared and armed to uphold the law and protect the greater population and their possessions. They were often outnumbered and always viewed with hatred by the pickets.
The police presence the battle of Orgreave organised on a military scale
Both sides acted with extreme prejudice and the hand to hand battles at the picket lines were often vicious as feelings ran out of control. Neither the pickets nor the police were ever local to the site of picket line, like guerrilla armies they were drawn in from far and wide and faced the opposing ranks with an all- consuming belief that they were the enemy. At ‘the battle of Orgreave’ 5000 miners gathered outside Orgreave coking plant and were met by police from ten counties. By the time the fighting was over, 41 police officers and 28 miners were injured.