Boxing Day Hunts

After a long break including a spell in hospital I am now back in action.On Boxing Day I continued with a tradition I have participated in on that day since I was a child - attending the Meet of the Hunt.Whilst hunting itself has never held any attraction for me,it has always been a part of rural life and I resent the government imposing a ban.
There were many people present, including a large number of police. Why were they there in such force - were they expecting the hunt supporters to misbehave?
Or perhaps they were expecting to drive their vehicles across fields to follow the hunt in support of greater powers that they seek to police hunting. I would far rather they spent their resources in ensuring the survival of our local police force so that our policing is not decided by those in the West Midlands conurbation.