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Police in plea to Derby Day football fans
Planning ahead: Supt Simon Verrell. PICTURE: STUART HASTINGS.
POLICE chiefs have today appealed to football fans to make the Steel City Derby a game to be proud of – and not a fixture marred by hooliganism.
Superintendent Simon Verrell, responsible for policing the game between Sheffield Wednesday and United on Sunday, February 26, said he wants the game to showcase the city but he has to be prepared for all eventualities – including the possibility of rival fans clashing.
He has a team of 350 officers assigned to the game, including ‘spotters’ who will patrol the streets looking for known thugs, staff in mobile CCTV vans monitoring the crowds looking for early signs of trouble and officers on horseback and with police dogs.
But Supt Verrell said he is hopeful the derby day fixture – the second of the season – will prove a policing success, with incidents associated with the derby game falling over recent years.
Crowd control barriers will be used outside Hillsborough Football Stadium for the second time, following a trial at Wednesday’s game with West Ham earlier in the season.
The seven-foot high steel barriers will be used to keep rival fans apart at a notorious clash point outside the West Stand on Leppings Lane, which will be used by around 5,000 away fans expected to attend the game.
Police want to keep them separated from Wednesday fans who will be leaving from the nearby North Stand at the end of the match.
South Yorkshire Police have traditionally used a line of bobbies or officers on horseback to keep rival fans apart on Leppings Lane but said the use of barriers frees up staff and reduces the risk of officers or members of the public getting injured in clashes.
Supt Verrell said: “This is always an emotive game and especially this season with the positions of the teams in the league, with them both vying for promotion.
“My message to the fans is to come and enjoy the game and to do so responsibly to keep everybody safe. We will be engaging with fans all day to make them aware of what we are doing and why.
“Fans need to get to the ground early and to be aware of where they are and what is happening around them because if we have concerns about a particular group and need to establish who is there well-meaning fans may end up getting caught up in it and end up late for the game.
“Police willl be using their powers to order fans away from the ground – even if they have a ticket – if they are causing alcohol-fuelled problems or we suspect they are likely to.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 20 comments to this article
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sensei
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:55 AM17 circle of trust, you are dead right. I was there at the Hillsboro disaster and it was drunken Liverpool fans pushing to get in at the last minute that caused all the crushing and deaths. Why has the truth been covered up for so long?
swfc
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 09:09 PMthey should have given the lower seats on lepings lane only, this would have a contained zone and a set amount of 1500 tickets for united easy to look after clear around the ground after match and then let out the united supporters, Wednesday would have sold the allocation easy , but their will be trouble before and after the match their always is, and it's a very fierce rivalry between the two clubs, it's day in day out, dislike the a posing supporters have for each other, and it's well documented it's one of the fixtures known for trouble, like rangers v Celtic , cardif v Swansea , milwal v west ham, man utd v Liverpool .
Ukip
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 07:46 PMCircle of trust. I agree with you, but too many were afraid to upset the families of the innocent victims that day, which has hid the truth for so long. It has proofed that seated stadiums are just as bad, if not worse, look at what has just happened in Egypt. Take down the fences and deal with the hooligan behaviour, is the only real solution.
circle of trust
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 07:03 PMIts not only the lack of a fence that means there wont be a repeat of what happened at Hillsborough in the cup semi final. There wont be hundreds of fans without tickets turning up at the last minute (deliberately) and pushing to get in ,regardless , (as this was a ploy that usually worked to their advantage.) Its time Sheffield people called a spade a spade and spoke out about what really happened.
Ukip
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 05:21 PMIt is time to teach supporters to mix again like they used to. This nanny state policing isn't for me, I feel quite safe standing without police protection. I have more of a problem with the stewards and police, who seem to incite it.
Ukip
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 05:07 PMWhy could 50K attend Hillsborough on boxing day 1980, with not one arrest and no segregation. I was sat above the United supporters in the Leppings Lane and the corner was fully in use for standing and there were no empty area's in the North stand. Fans in those days mixed in the main stands and terrace area's. There has been a total over reaction at Hillsborough since the disaster, because the real issue was swept under the carpet. No wonder SY police feel as though they are skating on thin ice.
Sheffielderinthesouth
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 05:07 PMInteresting post 11 - When was the last time they made a mess of it then? Football related disorder is still sadly very much at the forefront of some idiots agenda when these matches are on with a lot of violence happening away from the ground where the fans dont see it. As a result people think the police are being over the top - can they really afford to take that risk? honestly? Because then if they did under staff it and it kicked off then guess what would happen................they would get it in the neck for not being prepared! The usual saying of "cant do right from wrong" springs to mind.
S80 Massive
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:58 PMHandsworth - No growing up required thanks. I'm just sick of namby pamby people hiding behind the disaster and holding it up as example of what could happen again - it cant as there is no fence there since the Taylor report. Why should Hillsborough be policed & segregated any differently to any other ground? Also what is conveniently forgotten is that since 89 Hillsboro has been at full capacity with no segregating for Euro 96, League Cup Final replay and numerous Premiership games in the 90s...
handsworth
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:42 PM4 S80 Massive Try going up young man
MASSIVE WEDNESDAY
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:28 PMSYP will probably make a mess of it again, the most shambolic force in the north!!
lukeowl
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:02 PMi cant remember the last time there was trouble around hillsborough or bramall lane after a derby match. most of the fans that go are just fans, not hooligans. SYP are just covering themselves if anything does happen. the last sentence is just stupid.. "we suspect they are likely to" that just gives them to right to stop anyone they want
Honolulu Wednesday 1867
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:53 PMSimply lock the away fans in for 30mins, it's easier to police 4,700 than 39,000.It's always worked in the past. Most of the trouble by the the West Ham scum would not have happened if they had been locked in.
Jam_Sandwich
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:56 PMI'm more concerned about the SYP than trouble from United fans.
18loyal89
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:54 PMthe worst thugs on the day will be the SYP themselves. they put all their riot gear on,and away they go. pushing,kickin' batoning people about..they don't give a damn who's innocent or not..not just myself with this view. hundreds will have stories of what i'm talking about..
Chadwick Towers
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:59 PMPost 1... Handsworth is spot on. Whilstever there are spotty little chavs who think they're hard because they are with 50 other spotty little chavs, or indeed you get your more 'experienced' knuckle grazers looking for a proper ruck, the rest of the normal human race need protecting from being caught up in it.... Post 5.. Worst trouble since the Palace game?.... really?...... caused by the barriers??
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