In an effort to smash the daily picket of Mersey Docks, three police forces converged to snatch 5 men at the Gladstone gate on 11 June.
The Port Police, Merseyside Police, and Operational Support Division (riot squad) arrested shop stewards Tony Nelson and Kevin Billsborrow and three other dockers, including a 53 year old man with a heart condition who was released after an hour.
The two stewards were held in custody all day, charged with various offences and barred from the picket line as a condition of bail.
Mersey Docks have appointed a new Chief Superintendant for the Port Police, Ray Walker, and the arrests are seen as Walker's attempt to stamp his authority on the dispute.
In the wake of 9 arrests over the last two weeks, picketing has intensified and morale is high.
