City vs Rovers should not become a regular fixture – police commander
THE officer in charge of policing the first football match between Bristol City and Bristol Rovers for five years says it must not become a regular fixture.
The two sides faced each other at Ashton Gate on Saturday for Louis Carey's testimonial game.
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Louis Carey brings his daughter onto the pitch after Saturday's match
Commander in charge of policing the match, chief superintendent Andy Francis, said there were five arrests made ahead of the game and four people ejected from the ground by stewards as a result of disorder.
But he said the reason hooligans did not cause more trouble was a result of the policing – which cost a total of £112,000.
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Mr Francis said groups of hooligans had attempted to cause trouble from 10am on Saturday and there had been further trouble hours after the final whistle.
He said about 100 of the potential Bristol Rovers troublemakers left the stadium in the first half of the match, which ended 3-0 to Bristol City. There was a heavy police presence around Ashton Gate and the city centre prior to the game, preventing clashes between troublemakers.
Riot vans were lined up along Ashton Road as the crowd filed into the stadium – police officers lining the stretch by Greville Smyth Park.
Immediately before the 1pm kick-off Post reporters witnessed a flash point with the crowds chanting, pointing and shouting as they surged towards each other. But before it flared into violence the waiting police calmed the situation and the fans made their way into the stadium.
Mr Francis said: "The policing, in terms of numbers, was entirely correct because of the threat. We had some disorder before the match with groups running around trying to get one another. We had to deploy quite a large number of officers to prevent it getting out of hand. There was disorder in the ground before the game started when the Rovers risk group arrived and we had to sort that out.
"Post match there were attempts at disorder, only stopped because we intervened to keep the groups apart.
"It did cause problems for the local community with traffic jams and buses delayed."
As previously reported in the Post Avon and Somerset Police had warned the testimonial committee against the match at a time when so many of the force's officers were in London supporting the Olympics.
Mr Francis said: "The organisers – not Bristol City but the testimonial committee – were quite naive to believe a game between City and Rovers was a peaceful family event. Officers had to be deployed on the streets of Bristol who could have been a lot better used policing the streets of Bristol at a time when we and the FA advised against it. The testimonial committee has already made it clear they wanted this to be the first of many testimonial games with a friendly, happy atmosphere.
"If we could keep the risk groups from the game that would be fantastic but we can't and from a policing point of view we would not support a regular City and Rovers match."
Mr Francis said after the match there were incidents where risk groups of Rovers fans had to be escorted away from parts of the city where Robins fans were drinking to prevent trouble. He said that officers were kept around Bristol into the evening because there were still "significant groups of risk out in public wanting to get involved".
Mr Francis said that the testimonial committee had paid £40,000 towards the cost of policing on Saturday but that it had cost £112,000 in total for the necessary resources.
"We spent about £70,000 of public money to police this event and the vast majority of people behaved themselves but there were risk groups."
Chairman of the Louis Carey testimonial committee, David Fear, told the Post he had not been made aware of the police's initial concerns about the match. "I think it is unfair to say we are naive," he said.
"There was a 9,000 crowd there and only five arrests, which must be absolutely miniscule. I will give Avon and Somerset credit, the match was policed extremely well."
Comments
by larryjay
Monday, August 06 2012, 9:30PM
“why are they blaming all the trouble on the gas from what i saw it was just schoolkids shouting and swearing no one got hurt as there was no fighting the police are like dire straits they get their money for nothing ...”
by bulbous
Monday, August 06 2012, 8:11PM
“jumped up civil servant in talking **** shocker
as for the game 30 million debt were too good for us”
by Luke_Bristol
Monday, August 06 2012, 6:49PM
“More garbage from our local protection racket masquerading as the appalling local police "service"”
by CharlesBridge
Monday, August 06 2012, 3:35PM
“Extraordinary when you think about it. The citizens of Bristol who are sucked dry with sky high council taxes and business rates, much of it lavished on the local Police pay for such services.
The money indulges the boys in blue with retire early gold plated pensions and I expect a fair bit of football match overtime too. Why on earth should the odd game of City & Rovers not be a regular occurrence?
The five arrested halfwits are hardly a crime wave I think there were more arrests at News International and the House of Commons in the last 12 months than Ashton Gate. Am I wrong?
The boys in blue are doing fine from football and do a fine job all round, but please do kindly show a little respect to normal football fans, tax payers and none hooligans (most people). I look forward to the next game against the old enemy and to being looked after by the boys in blue at my great expense.
Anyway, I would think they would welcome the chance to get some fresh air and see some face to face punters rather than acting as the Orwellian word police chasing cretins who say dumb stuff on Twitter etc...”
by Vonner
Monday, August 06 2012, 1:00PM
“So what are you saying Jerry - Rovers didn't really try?
I will go along with the fact that if was a friendly (if there is such a thing as a City v Rovers 'friendly') but it was always going to have an edge with 8000 plus fans attending. It was a great chance for both teams to have as close to a competitive run out as possible in a decent atmosphere - that can only help preparations for the new season. Beats Dunfermline or Paulton..
We will never know what Rovers fans would be saying on here if they had not got beaten (battered in the 2nd half) but I think we might be able to guess. Certainly one or two of the usual suspects are deafening us with their silence...”
by Cityfan1007
Monday, August 06 2012, 12:50PM
“There is absolutely no justification for violence over a game of football...”
by Jerrythegas
Monday, August 06 2012, 12:00PM
“We all knew there would be problems. This pointless game should never have been played.
This match simply belittled this great fixture which should only ever be played when the outcome really matters to both teams.Nobody will remember this match in a few months time but everybody will always remember what happened 5 years ago in matches that had teams going all out to get a result....because it mattered!
Please no more "friendly" games that true supporters don't give a monkeys about.
Total waste of police time and money.”
by Ashton8
Monday, August 06 2012, 11:58AM
“Ho Ho Ho
I see Little Miss Maggot and her girlfriend, AbouttobeRelegated are back again with their childish splutterings - I should imagine they were among the 50 plus City fans who attacked that lone Leeds fan - how brave.
Anyway, back to the story - as many sensible Rovers and City fans have already stated, this is a complete over-reaction by the Police and especially this Andy Francis. In fact back in June he was trying to justify cancelling this game because of his vivid imagination of there being potential trouble and it would be justifiable to say that his ridiculous comments would have likely inflamed the situation. Also he then had to justify the appearance of such a heavy police presence - the small number of arrests (probably for very minor offences) and ejections would seem to totally invalidate his viewpoint.”
by Solomon243
Monday, August 06 2012, 11:48AM
“Well done Andy Francis, you really have made a mess of this one.
You have "sent out a clear message" that Avon & Som. has plenty of spare manpower and one can only assume that you "are working with other partnerships" i.e. the bankers.
Sad to see such decline amongst so-called leadership, let's hope it can be turned around.”
by BinRelegated
Monday, August 06 2012, 10:40AM
“There was a bit of trouble before the match but that was over quite quickly as the 30 or so rovers fans fled across the park at full speed in fear of their lives. Which was very funny!!
The game was too easy for City and it showed that they truly are a cut above the gas!”