A time when police took charge

Your article about the 1950s brought back some memories. The period was full of different music. There were the dance bands, the jazz bands and jazz clubs, the male and female singers with their bands and the rock groups.

The change in music started with Bill Haley and The Comets. The film Rock Around The Clock was shown in a London cinema and it was wrecked.

When it called at the Gaumont, Wolverhampton, the copy cat syndrome took over. The first six rows of seats were ripped out to make room to dance. Fire extinguishers were squirted at the screen.

The Teddy Boys had their crepe-soled shoes (there was another name for these at the time), drainpipe trousers, velvet collars and boot lace ties, not forgetting the DA hair cut.

Some looked smart, other Teddy boys and girls caused a lot of trouble, but in those days all the towns in the Black Country had their own police forces.

They worked together and knew when the gangs were going to hit a town and were ready for them with dogs. There were not many who would go against the dogs. At this time the police enforced law and order, and I would say ruled with an iron fist.

This changed for the worse in the 1960s when the large towns took over the smaller towns and the police forces were reorganised. What a joke. The liberal-minded chief constables in parts of the country persuaded the powers that be they should us the velvet glove and softly, softly approach, and you can see 30 or 40 years of indifference.

On this page a while back a person from Darlaston mentioned bringing the army back to help the police to clean up our streets. The sooner the better, as I see it.

The clock is running and stands at two minutes to zero before the lot goes down the drain, and all we hold dear is lost forever.

B Lawley, Hughes Place, Bilston.