During the 60s and early 70s the police had not caught on to the fact that the people they called civilians had long hair and that 'under cover' police officers were anything but.

There might well have been units which blended in effectively, but there were a lot which did not. They even polished their shoes.

The police cadets at the college where I worked were not known as the 20 watts for nothing (20 watt light bulbs were dim back then)

Usually anyone with long hair was unemployed or unemployable - or a Sikh.

The term long haired layabout was used by many people over 40 and not a few well indoctrinated sorts younger than that.

It was 20 years after the Beatles appeared on the scene before length of hair ceased to be contentious.