Beagle: The same thing up to the mid-70s. I once asked a fellow drinker in my local in Mile End (another regular was one Mrs Davis, w/o The George Who Was Innocent, OK!) how come I was able to leave my soft-top Triumph Herald in the street and not have to worry about.
"Well, the thing is, if people don't know who you 're friendly wiv, they'll leave well alone. In any case, all the villains round here goes up West of an evening."
Self-regulation worked well and as long as not too many serious lines were crossed, the local constabulary had a relatively peaceful life, I'm told.