South Yorkshire Police

[Devongreenowl]

It would be great if somehow, representative decent football supporters could spend just one day with a police public order unit on duty at a high category match, to see what they often have to put up with. Many supporters see the police taking action and it looks out of all proportion to what they have seen themselves, because they have missed the real disorder. Sadly though, the decent fans often get caught up in the consequences.

I wasn’t at the Reading game which Knibbs mentions, but I can tell you now, that for them to arrest 44 away fans, there must have been some pretty serious disorder there. Absolutely no doubt about that. At the Bournemouth v Leeds riot which I mentioned earlier, we made just over 100 arrests that day, at what was the worst riot ever seen at an English football ground, so 44 tells its own story.

To put that figure in perspective, last season Leeds had the most supporter arrests in England with 52 for the whole season, about half of which were at home.

Most cops working at football, do not want the hassle of making arrests unless they really have to. Just like the supporters, they want to get back home safely to their families on a Saturday evening. Not spending it filling out paperwork because of some moron who has made a football match a riskier experience for all those attending, not just themselves.

 

[Daz]

I wasn’t at the Reading game either, but if I was Emu and lived in London and was being sent on to a Plymouth bound train when all I did was attend a football match I would be pretty angry with the police to the point of them maybe having to arrest me.

 

[Devongreenowl]

I wasn’t at the Reading game either, but if I was Emu and lived in London and was being sent on to a Plymouth bound train when all I did was attend a football match I would be pretty angry with the police to the point of them maybe having to arrest me.

Ah but Daz, did you notice he said he was escorted to the platform. No mention of being put on the train.

 

[Daz]

Ah but Daz, did you notice he said he was escorted to the platform. No mention of being put on the train.

That's ok then? What if my car was parked at the ground?

 

[Devongreenowl]

Come on now Daz.

What did he get on the matchday bus to the station for then. No mention of being 'shoved on' that. Perhaps he just got on it for the 'crack'.

I refer you back to my own experience at Bristol that time. My own stupid fault for going to meet the football special on arrival.

 

[Daz]

Come on now Daz.

What did he get on the matchday bus to the station for then. No mention of being 'shoved on' that. Perhaps he just got on it for the 'crack'.

I refer you back to my own experience at Bristol that time. My own stupid fault for going to meet the football special on arrival.

Let’s agree that the vast majority of the time the police get it right, but on occasions they get it wrong and don’t help matters. I think that’s fair.

 

[Devongreenowl]

Well I’m cool with that. As I’ve said, it’s an extremely difficult job. What’s beyond doubt is that the football hooligans and yobs get it wrong every time

 

[mervyn]

I’ve twice spoken to the most senior police officer outside the ground, once at HP and once at St James, to ask why the scale of the police presence was deemed so necessary, with dogs and helicopters scaring the hell out of non footballing folk nearby. On both occasions they gave a very sensible rationale, based on previous troubles which they explained to me in detail. I’d not previously appreciated the extent of some of our fans’ thuggery. I say ‘fans’, but both police officers believed these were troublemakers who only joined our true fans on those occasions when they could cause mayhem.

 

[Devongreenowl]

There’s been some tasty stuff over the years, certainly in Exeter and once or twice down at HP.

Me and my brother in law were once jumped on by Exeter fans in Sidwell Street. We tried to run into Dewhursts butchers and they slammed the doors, so we got a good kicking!

I was an off duty officer from another force at the time and boy did I give the first officer on scene a hard time for not being there to help 😀. Of course, I was being unreasonable with him in the heat of the moment. Poor bloke said it was kicking off all over the place

 

[Knibbsworth]

There’s been some tasty stuff over the years, certainly in Exeter and once or twice down at HP.

Me and my brother in law were once jumped on by Exeter fans in Sidwell Street. We tried to run into Dewhursts butchers and they slammed the doors, so we got a good kicking!

I was an off duty officer from another force at the time and boy did I give the first officer on scene a hard time for not being there to help 😀. Of course, I was being unreasonable with him in the heat of the moment. Poor bloke said it was kicking off all over the place

I’m sure you said Argyle and Exeter was only a “tea party” derby a few posts back, now you are detailing several occasions you got your head kicked in!

 

[Pogleswoody]

I’m sure you said Argyle and Exeter was only a “tea party” derby a few posts back, now you are detailing several occasions you got your head kicked in!

Have you ever been to a Yorkshire tea party Knibbs? 🤼‍♂️🤼‍♀️

 

[IJN]

Any brain damage Pete?

 

[IJN]

Organised a Pasoti bus a few years ago.

I was asked to list all the name and addresses of the people travelling.

I'm not a human rights, conspiracy theory yoghurt knitter, but that never sat right with me.

 

[Devongreenowl]

I’m sure you said Argyle and Exeter was only a “tea party” derby a few posts back, now you are detailing several occasions you got your head kicked in!

Er, once

 

[Mark Pedlar]

Er, once

To be fair "a few times" might explain a lot.