Japan's all-woman riot squad

The riot police who will be facing down any badly behaved England fans in Japan are all women.

The so-called Lilac Squad will play a key role in policing World Cup games. The idea behind the all-female team is that their fair-but-firm presence may avert hooliganism by subliminally deterring fans from indulging in aggressive behaviour.

But, should anyone step out of line, they will soon find out that the female officers are not just there for symbolism - they are trained in martial arts and riot control, and equipped with hi-tech policing gear.

The Lilac Squad are adept at judo, karate and aikido, which teaches its practitioners timing and control so that even relatively small people can immobilise or throw bigger, stronger opponents.

Their equipment will include a new Japanese invention, the net gun - a device that can fire at and trap groups of rioters from a distance.

They will wear lightweight body armour allowing increased speed of movement, and carry transparent reinforced shields. The female squad is being trained to use water cannons against any hooligans who dare to confront them with violence.

Muneaki Sato, a spokesman for Hokkaido police, which is in charge of security in Sapporo where England's 7 June game against Argentina takes place, said: "We need tight security but we want a soft visual mood, so we felt that for some jobs female officers were better than male." Female officers will operate airport-style metal detectors and body check points through which all spectators arriving at the stadium will have to pass. It is hoped their presence will calm agitated fans eager to enter the ground.

Rehearsals have shown the checks are taking up to four times the 30-seconds-per-person target, fuelling fears that delays in getting tens of thousands into the stadium could lead to trouble.