Interviews

Football weekend disorder

by Mark Rowe

British Transport Police (BTP) officers made 36 football-related arrests during sporadic outbreaks of football disorder over the weekend of April 13 and 14, at London, Newcastle and Milton Keynes.

BTP Chief Constable Andrew Trotter has praised officers from BTP and local police forces for their resolve in the face of some difficult situations and for the swift and robust manner in which a trouble-making minority were dealt with.

BTP’s weekend football operation saw officers police numerous matches across England and Wales. Three BTP officers were injured during an outbreak of disorder in Newcastle and officers across the country were forced to make at least 36 arrests, including:

Saturday, 13 April

Wembley Park
Along with arrests made by Metropolitan Police officers following the widely-publicised disorder inside Wembley Stadium during the first FA Cup semi-final between Millwall and Wigan Athletic, BTP officers arrested six Millwall supporters at nearby Wembley Park station for offences including affray, theft of police equipment, racially-aggravated and public order offences and being drunk and disorderly. Pictured: Wembley Stadium train station next to the ground.

King’s Cross
Elsewhere in London, 11 Watford supporters were arrested at King’s Cross rail station for public order offences after returning from their away game at Peterborough United, including one person arrested for possession of cocaine. All have been bailed until 1 May pending further enquiries.

Sunday, 14 April

Newcastle Central
Following the widely-publicised disorder following the Newcastle United and Sunderland Premier League game, and in addition to the numerous arrests made by Northumbria Police, BTP officers arrested four Newcastle United supporters for offences including violent disorder and being drunk and disorderly.

The disorder also saw three BTP officers injured: a female officer was taken to hospital after a brick was thrown at her shoulder, a male officer was left with a black eye after being elbowed in the face and a male sergeant received facial and leg injuries after being struck by thrown ballast.

Some minor injuries were also sustained by members of the public during the disorder.

Wembley Park/Wembley Central/Euston

And after the second FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Chelsea on Sunday, four Manchester City supporters were arrested at Wembley Park, Wembley Central and Euston stations for offences including racially-aggravated public order, assaulting a train conductor and possession of drugs. Four Chelsea supporters were arrested at Wembley Park for offences including common assault and racially-aggravated offences.

Milton Keynes Central
Three Chelsea supporters were arrested for public order offences and being drunk and disorderly, with assistance from Thames Valley Police, as a northbound service arrived into Milton Keynes Central late on Sunday night from Euston.

BTP Chief Constable Andrew Trotter said: “This was a very busy and, at times, very testing weekend of football policing. I’m extremely proud of my officers, who, alongside colleagues from local police forces, stood firm in the face of some truly difficult situations. This was most apparent in Newcastle on Sunday, where three BTP officers were injured in the line of duty. None, I’m glad to say, were seriously injured.

“Nonetheless, the vast majority of the matches we helped police passed without incident and that’s testament to the enormous breadth and scale of our operation, as well as the meticulous planning that goes with it.

“In recent years, police, football clubs and other partners have made great strides in tackling the problem, and we’ve seen enormous reductions in offences thanks to a combination of robust policing and the banning of troublesome individuals from attending matches.

“This weekend saw at least 36 football-related arrests on the rail network, and the trouble-making minority were dealt with swiftly and robustly. However, the scenes at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and in Newcastle on Sunday serve as a firm and sobering reminder that there is still much more to be done in tackling football-related disorder.”

At Newcastle, early on Sunday morning officers, working with British Transport Police, helped Sunderland supporters on to special Metro and Rail services at Sunderland station. Supporters were in good spirits and worked well with officers. Free supporter coaches, organised by Sunderland AFC, also transported away fans to the game in 12 coaches.

In both Sunderland and Newcastle, officers were out from early on Sunday morning, visiting bars and pubs and speaking to fans.

Some reports of minor incidents were received before and during the match – including the release of some smoke canisters – but were dealt with by officers. After full time Newcastle fans left the stadium quickly and Sunderland fans remained in the stand for around 20 minutes as part of a pre-arranged holdback.

Sunderland supporter coaches got back to the Stadium of Light safely and other fans were escorted to Central Station where they boarded the direct Metros and train back to Sunderland.

After the match there were a series of sporadic incidents of disorder in Newcastle city centre involving what appeared to be Newcastle United supporters.

The most serious incident involved a group of Newcastle fans in Central Station attempting to confront Sunderland supporters, but they were intercepted by British Transport Police. In total 29 people were arrested throughout the day, in the main for public order type offences.

Northumbria Chief Supt Steve Neill said: “The vast majority of fans were well behaved today and enjoyed the Tyne Wear derby for the great occasion that it is.

“Disappointingly, there was some disorder involving what appear to be Newcastle United supporters following the match in the city centre, including an incident at Central Station. Disruptive behaviour of any kind is not tolerated, enquiries will take place into these incidents and action will be taken against all those involved.

“This was very much a partnership operation and a lot of planning went into what is a large scale policing operation to ensure that genuine fans were able to enjoy the game.

“Public safety is always our number one priority during any football match. For those who chose to get involved in disruptive behaviour they were either dealt with swiftly by officers or will be subject to retrospective action at a later date.”

In a statement, Newcastle United said that the club was embarrassed and appalled by the behaviour of a minority of so-called fans. United said it has been working with Northumbria Police, and will continue to do so, to identify the individuals concerned. The club said that it will take the strongest possible action against those involved in the disturbances and will impose immediate lifetime bans on all those found guilty.

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