A LIVERPOOL lecturer has called for reform into how police handle crowds in a review of the G20 protests due out today.

Dr Clifford Stott, a social psychologist at Liverpool University, believes police handling of crowds is outdated and can increase the chances of trouble.

Dr Stott, who is one of the world’s leading experts in crowd psychology, said: “Kettling (mass containment) of the kind witnessed at G20 relies by definition on the use and threat of force towards whole crowds, when the vast majority neither has done nor intends to do anything illegal.

“There is powerful scientific evidence that we need a different graded tactical approach like talking to people in the crowd and building links with protest groups prior to the event rather than using force to disperse or contain crowds.

“Public order policing dates back to the 1980s and the inner- city Toxteth riots, we’ve got an approach that belongs in the 1980s.

“While I’ve not commented on Mr Tomlinson’s death, I am surprised that an incident like that hasn’t occurred already.”

Dr Scott has spent time working with Liverpool FC and Everton FC on crowd control and also worked with Portuguese police during parts of Euro 2004. He said: “There was a complete absence of disorder because the police tactically policed the crowds, rather than control them.

“They used non-uniform officers and kept riot police out of sight, they spoke to members of the crowd and gathered information on who was causing a problem, they then used force tactically against these people.”