Editing Riot control (section)

==Tactics==
[[Image:EdinburghProtests3.jpg|right|thumb|Mounted riot police as crowd control during protests in [[Edinburgh]]]]
The front-line officers in a riot control are often fully armored and carry weapons such as batons, designed to be in direct contact with the crowd. These officers subdue rioters and subsequently allow the less heavily armoured, more mobile officers to make arrests where it is deemed necessary. In face of a greater threat, the riot police will be backed up with other officers equipped with [[riot gun]]s to fire [[tear gas]], [[rubber bullet]]s, [[plastic bullet]]s or [[flexible baton round|"beanbag" rounds]].

As a less aggressive step, [[mounted police]] may first be sent into the crowd. The might and height offered by the [[horse]] are combined with its training, allowing an officer to more safely infiltrate a crowd.  Usually, when front-facing a riot, officers slowly walk in a line parallel to the riot's front, extending to both its ends, as they noisily and simultaneously march and beat their shields with their batons, to cause fear and psychological effects on the crowd.

[[File:ASEM-Demonstration Hamburg 006.jpg|left|thumb|200px|German police deploy an armoured riot control vehicle at a demonstration in Hamburg.]]

In the United Kingdom, usually when large demonstrations take place that are deemed unstable, the [[territorial police force]] responsible for the demonstration in that area will usually deploy [[Police Support Unit (UK)|Police Support Unit]] personnel who are trained in riot tactics, along with normal divisional officers. If the demonstration turns violent, police will seal roads and other exits to contain protesters in a single area (known as [[kettling]]) to prevent widespread damage and wait until the protesters tire. These tactics were seen during the [[2009 G-20 London summit protests]] and the [[2010 UK student protests|2010 student protests in London]]. Tear gas and other more offensive tactics are used as a last resort. Throughout police will be videoing or photographing protesters for future arrests, "[[snatch squad]]" tactics might also be used where several police officers, usually in protective riot gear, rush forwards, occasionally in flying wedge formation to break through the front of a crowd, with the objective of snatching one or more individuals from a riot that are attempting to control the demonstration at which they are present; the target may be a leader or a speaker, or someone who seems to be leading the crowd. This tactic was used in the [[2011 England Riots]], most notably by [[Greater Manchester Police]] who deployed this tactic in [[Manchester city centre]] on 9 August 2011.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

A more straightforward tactic police may use is a [[baton charge]] which involves police officers charging at a crowd of people with batons and in some cases, riot shields. They run at the crowd hitting people with their batons, and in some situations use riot shields to push them away. Baton charging is designed to cause the maximum amount of [[pain]], in the hope that they would be compelled to move away from the scene, dispersing the crowd.