Here we look back at some photos from the Oxford Mail archive from the 1970s.
Early in the decade people had to get used to new money after decimalisation, and the police had a new anti-crime initiative - a talking car.
In 1975 it was City of Oxford Police's latest high-tech weapon against thieves.
On December 17 that year, they parked it up in a pre-pedestrianised Bonn Square to broadcast their message loud and clear.
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Equipped with a tape recorder and speakers, the car belted our a message reminding drivers to always 'remove their ignition keys, fasten the windows, lock the doors and put valuables in the boot out of site'.
The car actually belonged to British Leyland (which was then running the Cowley car plant), which loaned it to the police for their crime-cutting initiative.
As well as Bonn Square, it was deployed at several other shopping centres that week.
In our picture, crime prevention officer Sergeant Gordon Watts demonstrates fitting a wheel nut to the car to stop a thief stealing the wheels.
Looking on is Patrick Little, chairman of the Oxford and District Crime Prevention Panel.
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At the beginning of the 1970s, decimal currency arrived in Oxfordshire with hardly a hitch.
Prophets who had predicted chaos when the switch was made from pounds, shillings and pence to pounds and pence on Monday, February 15, 1971, were proved wrong.
As the Oxford Mail reported: “Decimal currency caused little trouble in the Oxford area. D-Day passed with a minimum of fuss and with shoppers taking the new coinage in their stride.”
The smooth changeover was due to careful preparation.
Leaflets had been delivered to every home in Oxfordshire and there had been widespread advertising and discussion in the media.
Within two days, demand for the new coins had been so great that banks faced an embarrassing shortage, particularly of the new penny and halfpenny. Rationing was imposed temporarily.
There were some complaints that higher prices had been secretly slipped through.
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A cup of coffee at one city café went up from 1s 3d to 7½p (1s 6d) while the charge for using some toilets doubled.
There was considerable disquiet over the ‘tiddler’ – the small halfpenny coin.
Banbury trader Eddie McGowan refused to handle it, after a small boy swallowed one outside his shop.
He had to tip the boy upside down to get the coin out of his throat.
He said: “They are a potential killer to children. I shall not accept them.”
Children found the changeover easy to cope with as many schools had had special lessons.
A Wantage sweet shop owner said: “The youngsters have it off pat. They were telling me how much things were instead of me telling them.”
The elderly had most difficulty with the new coins.
One woman in Oxford Covered Market became so confused with what was in her purse that she vowed never to go shopping again.
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