Football Should Pay for Police - A Dangerous Trend?
A report on the BBC has stated that football clubs should pay for policing at all football games.
As it currently stands, the clubs play for any policing required within and around the ground, and any extra policing laid on for the match is paid for by the taxpayer.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for football clubs of premier league stature to pay for extra police in and around the ground, I just wonder when it will stop.
Take for example a policeman intercepts a known hooligan in the city centre on match day. What should happen then? Or what should happen if an off duty policeman at a match stops a crime? I walk around a my 20,000 population town on a Saturday and see the place teaming with police. Why’s that? “Because there’s a match on”. Most of the fans are in one bar, and then make their way up.
I don’t like the whole “bash the Premiership” attitude, as generally it filters down to local clubs without big budgets to operate, and it’s rather unnescessary overall at lower league level. Some games do need the extra police, but for your average Yeovil vs. Rotherham, it’s completely unnescessary.
What are your thoughts?
Tags: football, police, premier league