Public Order Manual Poman 1971

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a global wave of civil disobedience. In the United Kingdom—where POMAN 1971 originated—police forces faced a triple threat:

Before 1971, public order training was largely local, ad-hoc, and based on Victorian-era baton drills. The infamous “Special Patrol Group” (SPG) operated on unwritten rules. POMAN 1971 was the first systematic attempt to create a national, standardized doctrine.

Its authors were a secretive committee of senior police officers, military liaison officers (with counter-insurgency experience), and Home Office civil servants. Their goal was brutally simple: to win without war, to contain without conquest. public order manual poman 1971

This is the section most beloved by tactical historians. POMAN 1971 standardized unit formations using alphabetic codes:

Crucially, the manual included intricate footwork diagrams (like dance choreography for riot control) and whistle commands. A single long blast followed by two shorts meant “seal the cordon.” A siren wail with alternating pitch meant “prepare for gas” (though CS gas was rarely deployed in mainland Britain at this time). The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a

POMAN 1971 codified the use of the "Yellow Card"—a shorthand reference for the rules regarding the use of lethal force and batons.

Originally compiled by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in 1971, the first edition of POMAN was intended as a technical reference for crowd control, riot management, and handling of unlawful assemblies under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was a routine, albeit comprehensive, administrative document. Before 1971, public order training was largely local,

The political landscape shifted dramatically in 1975. Following a judicial setback (the Allahabad High Court invalidating Indira Gandhi’s election), the government invoked Article 352 of the Constitution. The 1971 manual was rapidly revised and reissued with a new annexure focusing on the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). Under MISA, police could arrest any person “prejudicial to public order” without a warrant, hold them for up to 12 months without trial, and deny them legal representation.