Football Policing: The Difficulties of Managing the Risk

“There are families and children there, and they’re there to enjoy the game but they are seeing disorder and it’s not on. It’s not fair on the kids and their families. We need to keep them safe.”
In the run-up to the football season, we’re releasing a short series of featurettes looking at how we deal with the policing side of matches at Chesterfield and Derby.
Last night, we explored how much of a difference it can make when police officers engage with fans and get to know supporters, making themselves a familiar face at the pitchside in the process.
But policing football is not for the faint of heart.
Football-related violence and disorder rose nationally last season, with some supporters being seriously injured inside and outside grounds across the country.
Our mission in Derbyshire is to ensure everyone who visits our county to enjoy football can do so safely, and a lot of effort goes in to achieving that goal.
In this episode, we will take a look at the various elements of football planning, from picking out testing fixtures, to explaining how we deal with ‘risk’ fans whose behaviour can ruin it for everyone else.
You can find out more about the work of our football policing unit by following their Twitter profiles: @SpireitesPolice and @DCFCPolice.