Swingeing public sector cuts are likely to generate an autumn and winter of discontent. We need a new public debate on the role of the police and legitimate forms of political protest and direct action

The first year of the coalition has been marked by protests and marches that have, on occasions, spilled over into disorder and even violence. The police have in turn been accused of heavy-handed tactics in suppressing legitimate forms of political dissent. David Mead argues that the preservation of trust in the police and the bolstering of the democratic right to protest requires a considered debate with genuine public buy-in that goes beyond superficial headlines to establish what forms of dissent should we protect, value and legitimise.